Mysterious Last Name
by Leanora
Summary: A girl with long, black hair with blond-white streaks in it is attending Hogwarts. She goes by the name of Lyra M. But who is she exactly? And what secrets is she hiding?
1. Breaking Family Traditions

**_I unfortunately do not own the world of Harry Potter._**

**_This is my second fan-fic. Hope you like it! (And if you haven't figured out by now, reviews are appreciated!)_**

**_My first (which I am also currently writing) is called The Malfoy's Servant. _**

**Chapter 1:**

**Breaking Family Traditions**

Professor McGonagall called the next name.

"Draco Malfoy." A boy with blond-white hair strode up confidently to the stool, took a seat, and with in seconds of the Sorting Hat touching his head, it yelled

"SLYTHERIN!" Draco smirked as he headed off to the Slytherin table. He then turned his head in attention as Professor McGonagall called the next name on the list.

"Lyra M."A girl with long, black hair with blond-white streaks in it stepped up to the stool. The Sorting Hat was placed on her head, and sat there for a bit of time.

_"Hmm. Very interesting. You have a good heart, and are willing to put your friends and family first. But your whole family has been in Slytherin for generations. I think you will do will though in a different house, soo..._

_  
_"GRYFFINDOR!" The hat yelled. Draco's eyes widened, but the look on Lyra's face was pure happiness. _How's _that _for ruining family traditions?_ And then the sorting continued.

That night, as Lyra lay in bed, only then did thoughts of worry cross her mind. What would her father think? And her mum? She groaned. Ugg! Oh, well. Hope fully they wouldn't send a Howler, but that was the worst that could happen, right? These were Lyra's thoughts as she drifted to sleep in the Gryffindor first year girls dormitory.

_**Thanks to all who are reading, and liking it. If you have any suggestions, questions, or comments, please feel free to review/private message me. Also, if you have any ideas at all, or would like to see something happen, let me know, and I'll consider putting them into a chapter. Thanks! ~ Leanora**_


	2. Letters

_**I unfortunately do not own the world of Harry Potter.**_

**_I would like to say a quick thanks to phantomorangel, Zohrana Saturn, imadoodlenoodle, Celeste Belle, xXxDragonxPhoenixXx, and ImmatureEvil._**

_**This is my second fan-fic. Hope you like it! (And if you haven't figured out by now, reviews are appreciated!)**_

_**My first (which I am also currently writing) is called The Malfoy's Servant. **_

**Chapter 2:**

**Letters  
**

Lyra M. woke up the next morning feeling dazed. Surly last night was just a dream? But when she opened her eyes to the maroon and gold colors surrounding her, she broke into a smile, and got up, dressing quickly, and headed down to breakfast.

Once there, she sat by Harry Potter, Ron Weasly, Hermione Granger, and Neville Longbottom. Suddenly, screeches could be heard as the owls came soaring in with that morning's mail. _Uh oh. Here we go! _thought Lyra. She received two letters: one that was in an off-white envelope, and one that was in a green envelope. She decided to open the latter first.

_Lyra - _

_HOW IN THE WORLD DID YOU GET INTO GRYFFINDOR! _

_Mum, and especially Father are going to be so mad!_

_Anyway, let me know how things are going, and if you still want to keep that secret. _

_Sincerely, your brother,_

But here, it looked as if the bottom had been ripped off. That was o.k. with her, since _she_ knew whom it was from. By the looks of the other letter, the same thing had happened. It read:

_Dear Lyra,_

_We were very disappointed to learn that you were sorted into Gryffindor. That house is filled with nothing but blood-traitors and mudbloods alike. One more step out of line, and we will disown you. _

_(Not really, but please do try not to mess up again. Your father isn't happy)._

_Love, your parents._

And again, the bottom was ripped off. Lyra smiled at what her mum had written, obviously trying to make her feel better.  
This was going to be an interesting year.

_**Thanks to all who are reading, and liking it. If you have any suggestions, questions, or comments, please feel free to review/private message me. Also, if you have any ideas at all, or would like to see something happen, let me know, and I'll consider putting them into a chapter. Thanks! ~ Leanora**_


	3. Stupid Midnight Duel

_**I unfortunately do not own the world of Harry Potter.**_

_**I would just like to say a quick thanks to imadoodlenoodle, Celeste Belle, and cullens-little-sis, and magical4life.  
**_

_**This is my second fan-fic. Hope you like it! (And if you haven't figured out by now, reviews are appreciated!)**_

_**My first (which I am also currently writing) is called The Malfoy's Servant. **_

**Chapter 3:**

**Stupid Midnight Duel**

Lyra got to breakfast one morning, and it proved to be the most exciting one yet. About half-way into the meal, Draco Malfoy came up and challenged Harry to a duel. Before anyone else could say something, however, she spoke up.

"I'm his second. Whose yours?" she said, turning to Draco. His eyes widened for a bit before choosing

"Goyle". With that, he sauntered away.

"What's a second?" Harry asked, turning to Ron.

"A second is, well, a person who takes your place if you die," Ron said, but hurriedly continued at Harry's face, "but that's only in real wizarding duels, with, well, really good wizards. Not first-years."

"Trust me," Lyra said, "the worst thing that Draco will be able to do is disarm you. That's hardly a cause for worry."

That night, at a quarter to 12, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville and Lyra made there way to the Trophy Room. Once there, they waited, but no one came. It suddenly hit Lyra.

"How could I have been so _stupid_?" she muttered aloud.

"What?" Ron asked.

"They're not coming. And I'll bet you _anything _that Draco's tipped Filch off that we're here. Come on, we'd better get out of here." Lyra replied, urgency in her voice. And without waiting another moment, led the group on a run. Unfortunately for them, Peeves was out that night and spotted them.

"Quick, in here" said Harry.

"It's locked!" said Ron. Just then, Hermione shoved the two boys over and said

"Alohomora". The door opened, and the five of them rushed inside and closed the door behind them. Out of no where, Neville started whimpering and when Lyra turned around, she saw why. There, on the floor, was a huge, three-headed dog. And it was quickly rising to its paws, growling at them. The five first years screamed, and then hurriedly turned around and raced out of the room and down the corridor. They didn't stop until they were inside the common room. Only then did they turn to face one another, breathing heavily. Hermione spoke first.

"I hope you're pleased with yourselves. We could all have been killed - or worse, expelled. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to bed." and with that she turned around and went straight to bed.

"She really needs to get her priorities straight." said Ron. "And anyway, what the bloody hell was that _thing_ doing in Hogwarts?"

"It's guarding something, that much I'm sure of. Just what exactly is the question." replied Lyra.

"And now if you'll excuse me, _I'm _going to bed. It's late enough as is, and I really don't want to face the consequences of falling asleep in class. Goodnight." Then Lyra turned on her heel, and went straight upstairs to the first year girls dormitory, and fell onto her bed, her eyelids shutting as she did so. Her last conscious though was _What a night. I hope the rest of the year is this exciting!_ And then she was sound asleep.

_**Quotes are from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.**_

_**Thanks to all who are reading, and liking it. If you have any suggestions, questions, or comments, please feel free to review/private message me. Also, if you have any ideas at all, or would like to see something happen, let me know, and I'll consider putting them into a chapter. Thanks! ~ Leanora**_


	4. Christmas Presents and Confusions

_**I unfortunately do not own the world of Harry Potter.**_

_**I would just like to say a quick thanks to raveygirl17, PhoenixFeatherQueens, One Of The Fallen, CyberDog101, Celeste Belle, Allen Pitt, and justplaincrazy8.**_

_**This is my second fan-fic. Hope you like it! (And if you haven't figured out by now, reviews are appreciated!)**_

_**My first (which I am also currently writing) is called The Malfoy's Servant. **_

**_For all those who have guessed her last name: Congratulations! (Because of this, I'm putting in more information than if no one had guessed yet. Just remember that even though _you_ know, the _characters_ don't.)_**

**Chapter 4:**

**Christmas Presents and Confusions**

It was Christmas Eve, and Lyra was busy wrapping the last gift on her pile of gifts to wrap. This was for her brother. It was a set of non-breakable vials for Potions class. On each vial, there was a silver and green snake wrapped around them, and a similar design on the base. She smiled, hoping he would like them, and went to sleep.

The next morning, the first thing she did was send her owl to the Slytherin common room with the present for her brother. Then she headed downstairs to breakfast. The morning feast was really good. After a hearty round of waffles, syrup, strawberries, and pumpkin juice, she headed back to the Gryffindor common room to exchange gifts with her friends. She had given Harry, Ron, and Hermione each an assortment of chocolates, each case containing different shaped chocolates. Harry had little snitches, Ron had little R's (she couldn't think of anything else for him), and Hermione's box contained little books. In turn, she received a book on exotic magical creatures (how did she guess that Hermione's gift was going to be a book?), a small box of chocolate truffles from Ron, and another box of chocolates from Harry. (Sorry, I couldn't come up with anything else at the moment!) Then she turned to her parent's gift. She opened it and gasped. It was a collection of classic Wizarding stories that she had been looking at while in Florish and Bott's. She smiled. Suddenly, there was a tapping at the window. She turned, and let her owl in. It carried a present for her as well. She opened it, and stared in shock. There, right before her eyes, was the same gift she had just sent to her brother, except hers had little golden lions on the vials, and the base design was in maroon.

The rest of the holidays were soon over, and the first day back, Lyra had potions first. She sat at her usual spot, next to Hermione, and when Snape told them to get their ingredients and split up into group of four, the two grills immediately turned around to work with Harry and Ron. Lyra went to get the batch of twelve ingredients that their group needed from the cupboard, brought them back, and began to measure out the right amount of fluids into her new set of vials, while the rest of the group starting preparing other parts of the potion.

At the same time, one group over, Draco Malfoy was doing the same thing. And because of the way that the room was set up, the two siblings were practically back to back, but both had yet to realize it.

Lyra finished measuring out the first set of liquids, poured them in the correct order into the cauldron, and wet across the room to wash out her vials before using them for the second set. It was then Ron, looked up, not realizing that Lyra had taken her vials with her, and, seeing a similar set at the table text to them, spoke up.

"Oi! Malfoy! Why did you steal Lyra's vials? Don't have your own?"

"What are you _talking _about Weasly? These are mine. _I _unlike you, can afford my own." Ron turned red, but glared at Malfoy, who smirked. It was then that Lyra returned. Noting the boys' expressions, she voiced what she was thinking.

"What's going on _now_?"

"Malfoy's stolen your vials to use," blurted out Ron.

"Ron, what are you talking about? Mine are right here," Lyra said, holding up the clean vials in her hand, "I took them to clean out." Malfoy's smirk grew.

'But, but," stuttered Ron. "But they're the same!" he blurted out.

"No, they're not," Lyra replied, exasperated, "His," (nodding her head in her brother's direction), "have silver and green snakes on them, while mine have gold lions on them with a maroon base." Ron's face grew redder, if possible, while Malfoy's smirk grew even more.

"Apparently you don't have an eye for detail Weasly, or you would have noticed. Then again, I would expect nothing less from a Weasly." Malfoy finished speaking, and returned to his potion, but not before recieving a glare from Lyra. The Gryffindors returned to their potion as well.

"Bloody git," muttered Ron, and Lyra put her hand to her mouth to stifle a laugh just as Snape came over to their group.

"Class almost over, and you're not even half-way done." The group grimaced. "Ten points from Gryffindor, he said before walking away.

"Come on, we can still finish if we hurry." Lyra said.

The group did indeed finish, and as Lyra reached Snape with her group's vial of potion to hand in, so did her brother. As they turned to go back to their tables, their eyes met and the two siblings shared a quick glance before heading back to their respective tables. This all happened in less than a minute. They separated as they headed out of the classroom to their next class.

Only one person had caught the look exchanged between the two siblings, and that person was Snape.

_**Thanks to all who are reading, and liking it. If you have any suggestions, questions, or comments, please feel free to review/private message me. Also, if you have any ideas at all, or would like to see something happen, let me know, and I'll consider putting them into a chapter. Thanks! ~ Leanora**_


	5. Sticky Situations and A Stone

**I unfortunately do not own the world of Harry Potter.**

_**I would just like to say a quick thanks to Allen Pitt, skydiamonds91, justplaincrazy8, cullens-little-sis, and panneler-san.  
**_

_**This is my second fan-fic. Hope you like it! (And if you haven't figured out by now, reviews are appreciated!)**_

_**My first (which I am also currently writing) is called The Malfoy's Servant. **_

_**For all those who have guessed her last name: Congratulations! (Because of this, I'm putting in more information than if no one had guessed yet. Just remember that even though **_**you**_** know, the **_**characters**_** don't.)**_

**Chapter 5:**

**Sticky Situations and A Stone**

One night, as Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Lyra were in the library looking up who exactly Nicolas Flamel was, Lyra came across the letter she had gotten that morning. She hadn't had time to open it, instead just shoving it in her bag. She quickly glanced around, seeing no one looking at her, and opened the letter. It was from her father.

_Dear Lyra,_

_I am hoping that this reaches you in good health. I am assuming that since you want to do well on your exams, you are staying at Hogwarts through Easter break._

_I was curious to find out from your brother that you are friends with none other than Harry Potter, a Weasley, and a Mudblood. While I certainly don't mind your friendship with Mr. Potter, please be aware of whom exactly you are associating yourself with. if you are still friends with them when you are released for the summer holiday, then I daresay we shall have something to discuss._

_Sincerely, your father,_

_Lucius Malfoy._

A look of worry crossed her face, and Ron, of all people, caught the look.

"Lyra, are you okay, mate?" he questioned her. Harry and Hermione looked up at this, as she responded:

"Er, yeah, I'm fine." Harry raised his eyebrows, and Lyra confessed the truth.

"No, actually. My father doesn't exactly approve of my friendship with you two," she said, nodding towards Ron and Hermione.

"Who's your father?" questioned Ron, and Lyra immediately regretted telling them anything.

"Oh, er, no one important. Come on, I think I finally found out who he is in this book," she said, pulling a book over. Harry, Ron, and Hermione exchanged a glance, but didn't say anything, before continuing on with what they were doing.

* * *

Their feet pounded on the hard wood floor, the sound echoing off the walls, loud in their ears as Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Lyra raced through the forbidden third floor corridor towards the door that they has stumbled upon by accident earlier in the year.

While Harry played his flute, the other three jumped through the trap door. Harry quickly followed, and the four Gryffindors found themselves being bound by a plant. Suddenly, Hermione spoke:

"It's Devil's Snare! Relax, and it'll let you go!" Harry and Lyra did as they were told, and were released, but Ron was still thrashing about, making the plant bind him tighter.

"Lumos!" Lyra shouted, pointing her wand at the plant. The plant responded, opening up, and dropping Ron to the ground.

"Thanks," he panted. Lyra mearly nodded and the group trudged on. After passing a room filled with similar looking flying key, (Which they had gotten by thanks to Harry's seeker skills), they found them selves facing a life-size chess set. They would have to play their way across, the foursome realized, and Harry, Hermione, and Lyra let Ron take charge for this task. Everything was going fine until he had to sacrifice his piece in order to allow Harry to continue on. The game was over a minute later.

"Hermione, you go ahead with Harry. I'll stay here with Ron." Harry and Hermione nodded grimly at Lyra and went through the door leading to the next task.

Ten minutes later, Hermione came back through the door.

"Harry's gone on ahead. He told me to get back her and to go for help."

"Right, well, let's go then. We can levitate Ron. Wingardium Leviosa," Lyra said pointing her wand at the still unconscious Ron. The she and Hermione took off at top speed back the way they had come. Whey they got to the Devil's Snare, however, they reached a problem, but Lyra thought quickly, and came up with a solution. She ran back to the keys room, grabbed the broom, and handed it to her friend.

"I'll cast a lighting spell, so that you fly through the Devil's Snare. Then I'll levitate Ron up to you."

"But what about you?" Hermione questioned.

"I'll go back and help Harry." Lyra responded. Hermione nodded, took the broom, and flew up through the plant as Lyra casted the lighting spell. Then she levitated Ron to Hermione, and ran back towards Harry. Luckily for her, the chess set hadn't reset itself, so she could pass right through. When she got to the potions room, however, she saw that they had been refilled, but she also that two bottles lay at either end of the tables. She drank the one farther away from where she was, and stepped through the fire to the next room.

When she got there, she saw Quirrel facing what she recognized as the Mirror of Erised. But what shocked and terrified her at the same time, was that where Quirrel's turban should have been, there was the face of another man, one that her father had often told her and Draco about...Voldemort. Harry stood facing them. As Quirrel/Voldemort advanced, Harry ran, and Lyra pulled out her wand, and attempted at a spell her father had taught her in case she needed to defend herself.

"Stupefy!" she screamed, but the spell missed its target. However, it did get the attention of Quirrel, who turned and finally acknowledged her presence. Lyra suddenly felt something in her pocket, but she guessed that Harry already had the real stone, so this must be a fake.

"Hey!" she yelled, making the two males in the room turn towards her. She held up the stone.

"Run," she mouthed to Harry.

As Quirrel reached her, she fell backward as he grabbed for the Stone. She saw Voldemort freed from his host's body, Quirrel breaking apart, and then everything went black as her head hit the steps.

_**Thanks to all who are reading, and liking it. If you have any suggestions, questions, or comments, please feel free to review/private message me. Also, if you have any ideas at all, or would like to see something happen, let me know, and I'll consider putting them into a chapter. Thanks! ~ Leanora**_


	6. Disappointment, Complaints, and Fights

_**I unfortunately do not own the world of Harry Potter.**_

_**I would just like to say a quick thanks to imadoodlenoodle, Celeste Belle, Allen Pitt, justplaincrazy8, Singerinthesilence, and CyberDog101.  
**_

_**This is my second fan-fic. Hope you like it! (And if you haven't figured out by now, reviews are appreciated!)**_

_**My first (which I am also currently writing) is called The Malfoy's Servant. **_

_**For all those who have guessed her last name: Congratulations! (Because of this, I'm putting in more information than if no one had guessed yet. Just remember that even though **_**you**_** know, the **_**characters**_** don't.)**_

**Chapter 6:**

**Disappointment, Complaints, and Fights**

As Lyra got off the Hogwarts express at Platform 9 3/4, she quickly bade good-bye to her friends, promising to write to them over the summer, and then, grabbing her trunk, moved towards the "fire-places" and flooed home to wait for the rest of her family to join her.

Not even five minutes later, her family entered the house. Narcissa quickly made to hug her daughter, and asked her how she was before Lucius interrupted this small reunion. Narcissa looked up, and, as it was fairly late by that time, the four Malfoys made their way to the dinning room and took their respective seats. Draco did most of the talking, or, as Lyra saw it, a combination of bragging and complaining.

"I _would _have been the best in our year, if it not for..."

"Your sister, dear?" Narcissa finished for him, thinking this to be his answer.

"I wish mother, but no. A little mudlood girl." Lyra reacted at once, startling everyone as she spoke up for the first time that evening.

"Don't _call_ her that! She's really smart, and really nice and she's my _friend_, ..." She suddenly trailed off, realizing what she had just said. She looked up fearfully. Her father's normally composed, and expressionless face now held fury instead. _Uh oh,_ she thought,_ I probably shouldn't have said that._

"Soo...you're still friends with her, are you?" Lucius questioned his daughter. Looking down, Lyra quietly replied,

"Yes, father."

"And you're friends with a Weasley, too, if I remember correctly?" The disgust evident in his voice.

"Yes, father." Then, looking up, and in a much more clear and confident voice, continued.

"And that _isn't _going to change."

"We'll see...Now, I do believe that you are also friends with Harry Potter?"

"Yes," Lyra replied curtly.

"Good, good. At least _you _seem to have followed this request of mine..." Lyra started to cut him off at these words,

" I didn't become friends with him because of _you, _father, I ..." but stopped after seeing her father's disapproving glare.

"Well, whatever the reason, you've done well. As for you," Lucius continued, turning to his son, "I thought I told you to get to know Potter and to try to befriend him as well." Lyra smirked. It was rare that she bested her brother at something. Meanwhile, Draco started to reply.

"Yes, father, you did, but he gets all this attention just because of a stupid _scar!_ He even got onto his house _Quidditch_ team! He's not even that good..."

"Yes, Draco, he is. _You're _just jealous." Lyra told her brother.

"ENOUGH! Enough of this! Upstairs now, the both of you" Lucius said, breaking the argument that was rapidly arising between the two siblings. The two children trudged upstairs for bed, not wanting to risk angering their father.

Narcissa came into Lyra's room a few minutes later, and took a seat on her daughter's bed.

"Your father isn't too happy with your choice of friends, you know." She began.

"I know, mum, I know. I just don't see the big deal. They're good people, mum. What should it matter where they came from or what their blood status is?" Narcissa continued speaking when her daughter finished.

"Well, try not to anger your father anymore. He's not happy with who you've made friedns with, and he's _certainly _not happy with the fact that you're in Gryffindor." There was a moment of silence that seemed to fill the room. Lyra broke this silence by asking her mother something that had been bothering her for quite a while. Looking up at her mother, she asked,

"But what about you mum? What do you think about all of this?"

"Well, I'm not exactly pleased if that's what you mean, but I guess it could have been worse. And you're happy. That's what matters most." Narcissa replied. Then, getting up, she said,

"You've had a long day. Get some rest and I'll see you in the morning, alright?" Lyra nodded.

"Night, mum." Narcissa smiled before leaving her daughter's room.

There was just one more thing that Lyra wanted to do that night, so, as soon as she finished unpacking, she ran down the hall, and knocked on a door that had a silver snake on it.

"Yes?" drawled a voice from inside. Lyra entered the room to find her brother still in his sulky mood and Lyra had a pretty good idea why. So she decided to tease him a bit about it, just to see how he would react.

"Hey, Draco. You alright?"

"Fine," he replied stiffly to his sister.

"You're not still mad 'cause Gryffindor won the house cup, are you?" As expected, Draco reacted to this.

"Course I am!" he practically yelled at her. "Slytherin should have won! _You_ only won because Dumbledore decided to award you guys so many extra points for no reason."

"Yeah, well, we _did _deserve those points, and you should have seen your face when you found out that Slytherin lost because of my friends and I. It was comical." Lyra said with a laugh. Draco glared at her.

"Well, goodnight Draco," she said, turning to leave. As she did, however, she suddenly felt a jab on her arm She spun around to find that Draco had punched her lightly on her arm. Lyra, grabbing the item nearest to her, (in this case a pillow,) whacked her brother with it, a smile on her face.

"Game on," Draco said, smirking. Within minutes, both siblings were disheveled, bent over, panting, trying to catch their breaths, while laughing so hard, and all the while smiling. Lyra couldn't remember having this good of a time with her brother in years. Their differences had begone to separate them, and once they got to Hogwarts, well, that was that. This brought back the good old times, (whenever that was). Still smiling, Lyra stood up, gave Draco back his pillow, said goodnight, and went to bed. She had had a great year at Hogwarts, made many new friends, and had a good-natured fight with her brother to top it all off, (well, once that _hadn't_ ended in yelling, let's put it that way,). Lyra was really happy, and resolved to write to her friends the next morning. With these thoughts in her mind, she slept peacefully, a smile still on her face, as she tried to imagine what adventures next year would bring.

_**Just so you know, (even though you probably could have guessed this,) once school starts, I won't be able to update as frequently, but I'll try for once or twice a week. Thanks!**_

_**Thanks to all who are reading, and liking it. If you have any sugg**__**estions, questions**__**, or comments, please feel free to review/private message me. Also, if you have any ideas at all, or would like to see something happen, let me know, and I'll consider putting them into a chapter. Thanks! ~ Leanora**_


	7. Dobby and Diagon Alley

_**I unfortunately do not own the world of Harry Potter.**_

_**I would just like to say a quick thanks to Allen Pitt, alexlee4samjeane, Celeste Belle, Singerinthesilence, doulike14, CinnamonMintiMoon, and CaramelWillow.**_

_**This is my second fan-fic. Hope you like it! (And if you haven't figured out by now, reviews are appreciated!)**_

_**My first (which I am also currently writing) is called The Malfoy's Servant. **_

_**For all those who have guessed her last name: Congratulations! (Because of this, I'm putting in more information than if no one had guessed yet. Just remember that even though **_**you**_** know, the **_**characters**_** don't.)**_

**Chapter 7:**

**Dobby and Diagon Alley**

It was now nearing the end of August, and Hogwarts letters were to be coming anytime now. Meanwhile, Draco insisted that Lyra help him improve his Seeker skills, (even though_ they_ both knew that their father had bought Draco onto the team. (Which in Lyra's opinion was totally unfair.)) Much to Draco's surprise and horror, Lyra turned out to be a natural, and kept catching the Golden Snitch before her brother could. It was from one of these exercises that Lyra was heading past the kitchen, up to her room when she suddenly heard a loud "_Crack!_" Lyra peered into the kitchen to see a lone house elf looking wildly around. It was then that Lyra decided to make her presence known.

"Hello Dobby!" she said, stepping into the room. Dobby turned to face her, his round eyes wide, his face full of terror, and managed to stammer out,

" He-hello, Mistress". Lyra frowned, and knelt to the ground so that she was eye level with the house elf.

"Dobby, I want you to listen to me carefully, alright? I don't want to be called 'Mistress', understand? Lyra is fine, alright?" Dobby simply nodded.

"Good," she said, smiling. "Now, Dobby, if you don't mind, can you please tell me where you just returned from? I promise I won't be mad." Lyra said kindly.

"Dobby had to, Miss! Dobby had to leave! Dobby had to warn him!" Dobby started to say, but for some reason, didn't continue.

"Dobby, why don't you sit down, take a deep breath and just tell me where you went," Lyra said calmly. Dobby's eyes widened at being asked by Lyra to sit down, but did so. After a moment, he spoke again,

"Dobby had to, Miss. Dobby had to warn Harry Potter! Harry Potter is in grave danger if he goes back to Hogwarts!..." Dobby abruptly clapped a hand over his mouth, and looked up fearfully at Lyra, who was starting to stand up.

"Wait, so all you did was went to warn Harry about some danger that's going to threaten him this year?" Dobby nodded, still unsure whether or not she was mad at him.

"Well, I'm glad you did, though it probably won't stop him from coming, if I know Harry. Dobby, Harry's my friend. I'm very glad that you _did _go to warn him. Thank you."

Dobby looked at her in surprise.

"You-You're welcome, Miss." Lyra nodded, and after a quick good-bye, left the room.

Lyra stepped out onto the busy street at Diagon Alley. She had just finished picking up her and Draco's refills for potions at the Apothecary, and was headed to Flourish and Bott's to meet her brother and father before going off together to get brooms for Draco, and then ice cream for all of them. As she neared, she heard the sounds of fighting, and shouts. She looked in the window to see Harry, Ron, Hermione, and a girl she didn't know staring horrified at something that was happening apparently on the ground, and Draco, a few feet away from them, the same expression on his face, except with some smugness added in. _What's happened this time?_ thought Lyra as she quickly headed into the book shop. She stepped right up beside Ron, and asked,

"Ron. What's going on?" Ron jumped at the sound of her voice, and turned to face her, before responding.

"Mr. Malfoy and my dad got into a fight." Luckily, both men were now being pulled apart, and there seemed to be no grave danger done to either man.

"Ookay...do I _want _to know why?" she responded.

"Probably not," Ron replied. It was then that Harry and Hermione noticed Lyra. At this same moment, the two male Malfoy's were prepaing to leave, and Draco was scribbling something onto a piece of paper.

"Lyra, hi! When did you get here?" questioned Hermione.

"Just a few moments ago. It's good to see you both. You're alright Harry?"

"Yeah, thanks!!" he replied. As he spoke, Lyra's father passed her, overlooking her directly, (so as not to call attention to them,) but Draco had his usual sneer on, but as he passed them, he made Lyra drop the book she was holding, (on advanced potions), and dropping the note at the same time. The trio glared at him, while Lyra bent down to pick up her book, noticing the note, which she quickly read while the other's attention wasn't on her.

_Ice cream - 1/2 an hour_ was all the note said, but the message was clear. She nodded, and Draco caught this through the window as he was passing in front of the store.

"Oh, Lyra! I'd like you to meet my sister, Ginny," Ron said suddenly, not aware of the exchange that had just happened between the two siblings. He was gesturing to the girl Lyra had seen earlier.

"Ginny, this is our friend Lyra."

"Pleased to meet you, Ginny!" Lyra said, shaking hands with the younger girl. "Are you going to be joining us in Gryffindor this year?"

"Hopefully," the girl said quietly, with a quick glance at Harry. Lyra suddenly thought she understood why Ginny was so quiet. She had a crush on the Boy Who Lived. Lyra smiled, and the group continued to chat until it was time for Lyra to go.

"I've got to go! I'll see you on September first!" she said.

"Bye!" the foursome said, as Lyra raced out of the bookshop, and into the ice cream shop to meet her family.

She couldn't wait for school to come....friends, a cool school, and lots more time to annoy her brother...this year was going to be fun!

(Unfortunately, at this moment, Lyra had forgotten all about Dobby, and his warning to her friend. But she would remember that soon enough...)

_**Just so you know, (even though you probably could have guessed this,) once school starts, (tomorrow!) I won't be able to update as frequently, but I'll try for once or twice a week. Thanks!**_

_**Thanks to all who are reading, and liking it. If you have any suggestions, questions, or comments, please feel free to review/private message me. Also, if you have any ideas at all, or would like to see something happen, let me know, and I'll consider putting them into a chapter. Thanks! ~ Leanora**_


	8. Slytherin's New Seeker

_**I unfortunately do not own the world of Harry Potter.**_

_**I would just like to say a quick thanks to Allen Pitt, Celeste Belle, Singerinthesilence, -Alex,, SilverMistKunoichi, Peanut Butter etc., and imadoodlenoodle.**_

_**This is my second fan-fic. Hope you like it! (And if you haven't figured out by now, reviews are appreciated!)**_

_**My first (which I am also currently writing) is called The Malfoy's Servant. **_

_**For all those who have guessed her last name: Congratulations! (Because of this, I'm putting in more information than if no one had guessed yet. Just remember that even though **_**you**_** know, the **_**characters**_** don't.)**_

_****As a reviewing pointed out, so far, Lyra seems a bit perfect. Let me asure you that tis isn't how I wanted to portray her, as she isn't. How could she be between growing up with Draco and hanging out with the trio?****_

**Chapter 8:**

**Slytherin's New Seeker**

Lyra sat in the stands of the Quidditch field to watch Gryffindor's practice. _If she wanted to be on the team one day, it was best if she knew how they liked to play,_ she thought. She was drawn out of thought, however, by flashes of green and silver. _No, no, no, no, no, no! Not now! _she thought as she made her way down to the field with Ron and Hermione. Just as she got there, the Slytherin team parted to reveal her brother, introducing him as their new Seeker. All of the Gryffindor team stared in shock as Flint bragged about the new brooms that their father had bought the team. About now, Lyra was fairly mad.

"Good, aren't they?" said Malfoy smoothly, in response to Ron's open mouth. "But perhaps the Gryffinor team will be able to raise some gold and get new brooms, too. You could raffle off those Cleansweep Fives; I expect a museum would bid for them."

"At least no one on the Gryffindor team had to _buy_ their way in," said Hermione sharply. "_They _got in on pure talent." The smug look on Malfoy's face flickered.

"No one asked your opinion, you filthy little Mudblood," he spat.

There was an instant uproar at these words. Lyra stood shocked at what her brother had said to her friend, but only for only a moment. Then she became so angry that it was a mighty good thing that Flint was in front of him. _That_and the fact that Ron already had his wand pointed at Malfoy. However, Ron seemed to forget that his wand was broken, for a minute later, he was on the ground, looking green. Then, opening his mouth, slugs started coming out. As Harry and Hermione dragged him away to Hagrid's, Lyra's anger got the better of her. She was livid now. He had gone too far this time. She marched over to where Draco was just standing up now, still shaking with laughter. One look at her face however, and that disappeared quickly. Meanwhile, the rest of the team looked on amused, wondering what exactly she could do to him. By that time, the two siblings were face to face, Lyra's wand at Draco's throat.

"How _dare_ you? How _dare_ you insult her like that? She's got more brains then this entire team put together. And she's right, you know, you wouldn't even be _on_this team if your father hadn't bought those brooms for the team. So why don't you just shut your mouth, and keep it quiet. Because next time, you'll get a lot more than a bloody nose." and before anyone had time to register what she had just said, Lyra punched her brother hard in the face, before giving one more nasty glare at him, and then speeding away to Hagrid's to make sure her friends were alright.

She reached Hagrid's and knocked, butwhen no answer came, she let herself in. She immediatly wished she hadn't. Ron was explaining to Hermione what "Mudblood" meant.

"...foul name for someone who is Muggle-born - you know, non-magic parents. There are some wizards - like Malfoy's family - who think they're better than everyone else because they're what people call pure-blood."

"_Not all Malfoys do,"_ Lyra thought. The foursome looked in her direction.

"Oh, hi Lyra. What did you just say?" Ron asked.

"Oh, uh, nothing," she replied, blushing. She didn't realize she had said these words out loud.

"Well, I don' blame yeh fer tryin' ter curse him, Ron," said Hagrid loudly over the thuds of more slugs hitting the basic. "Bu' maybe it was a good thing yer wand backfired. 'Spect Lucious Malfoy would've come marchin' up ter school if yeh'd cursed his some. Least yer not in trouble."

'Oh, yeah, about that. Ron, don't think that nothing happened to him. After Harry and Hermione got you out of the way, I gave him a piece of my mind _and_ a bloody nose. He shouldn't mess with us for while, now." Lyra mentioned.

"Good job!" Ron said, looking pleased, despite the slugs coming from his mouth.

"So know _yer_goin' to have to face Lucius Malfoy for hurting his son. Was it worth it?" Hagrid scolded/reminded her.

"Don't worry, Hagrid. I have a feeling that I'm not going to have a lot of trouble with Mr. Malfoy. Trust me." Lyra said, a twinkle in her eye. _If there was ever a good thing to being a Malfoy, this was it. Do something to Draco, and I don't get into to much trouble._she thought with a smile. Hagrid glanced at her suspiciously, before changing the subject to Colin Creevy and Harry, and then to his pumpkins.

"Bye, Hagrid!" Lyra called as they left. Turning to the trio, she asked,

"You alright? I've got some stuff to do. Feel better, Ron!"

"Wait, Lyra. You're sure your not going to get into trouble because of what you did to Malfoy? Bloody brilliant and all, but not worth getting to trouble." Ron asked.

"I'll be fine, Ron. And yes, it was _definitely _worth it. I'll see you later." she said with a laugh. She headed up to her dorm to grab her books, and then went to the library to start on some homework. _Yup,_ she thought, as she made her way to the library,_ this year is _definitely _going to be interesting!_

**_Quotes are from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets._**

**_Short, I know sorry!_**

_**Just so you know, (even though you probably could have guessed this,) now that school's started, I won't be able to update as frequently, but I'll try for once or twice a week. Thanks!**_

_**Thanks to all who are reading, and liking it. If you have any suggestions, questions, or comments, please feel free to review/private message me. Also, if you have any ideas at all, or would like to see something happen, let me know, and I'll consider putting them into a chapter. Thanks! ~ Leanora**_


	9. A Letter and the Chamber of Secrets

_**I unfortunately do not own the world of Harry Potter.**_

_**I would just like to say a quick thanks to DayDreamer1236, Singerinthesilence, Charley Reede, Celeste Belle, pannler-san, and Allen Pitt.  
**_

_**This is my second fan-fic. Hope you like it! (And if you haven't figured out by now, reviews are appreciated!)**_

_**My first (which I am also currently writing) is called The Malfoy's Servant. **_

_**For all those who have guessed her last name: Congratulations! (Because of this, I'm putting in more information than if no one had guessed yet. Just remember that even though **_**you**_** know, the **_**characters**_** don't.)**_

**Chapter 9:**

**A Letter and the Chamber of Secrets**

_Lyra -_

_What could have possibly possessed you to hit your brother this time?_

_You know what - never mind - I don't want to know. I am disappointed, however, at this behavior. Please try to control yourself next time._

_With love, _

_your mother,_

_Narcissa Malfoy_

Lyra looked at the letter, and sighed. She just _couldn't_ please these people. Oh, well. It could have been worse.

She saw her brother later that day in class, and though his nose looked fine, he gave her some distance, (which was probably a smart thing to do,) and his fellow classmates seemed to follow his lead, giving her glares wherever they went.

Everything was fine until that night. About half-way through dinner, she turned to Ron and Hermione.

"Where's Harry? Surly his detention with Lockhart should be over by now?" she asked, a bit of worry taking over in her voice. Ron just looked at her, then kept eating.

"You're right," said Hermione, looking around. "Come on, I'm sure we'll find him," and without another word, she and Lyra got up. Noticing Ron didn't move, both yelled,

"RON!" The trio made there way out of the Great Hall, and ran into Harry a few minutes later. Right after meeting up, however, Harry asked a strange question.

"Do you here that? That voice?"

"What noise Harry, what voice?" Hermione questioned worriedly."

"There it is again. It's moving." After another moment of silence. Harry spoke again.

"It's going to kill!" Hermione, Ron, and Lyra exchanged horrified, confused, and worried looks before racing after their friend.

Harry stopped, and what they saw caught in Lyra's throat.

"Ha-Harry? Look," she said shakily, pointing to the body of Mrs. Norris. Now, the corridors were filling fast, as the Great Hall emptied out from dinner. Lyra heard a familar voice break over the dull of everyone's low conversations.

"The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Enemies of the heir, beware" drawled Draco Malfoy. Suddenly, the Professors came through led by Professor Dumbledore. The headmaster and Professor McGonagal looked in shock, while Professor Lockhart was stating that if he had been there, that this wouldn't have happened.

"Everyone back to their dormatories, immdiatly. Everyone, except, you four," Professor Dumbledore said, gesteruing the the original foursome.

"Harry is there something you wish to tell me?" He asked towards the end of his short interrogation.

"No, sir." Dumbledore stared at Harry, before continuing.

"Well, off to bed, all of you." They nodded, and started up towards Gryffindor Tower.

"Couldn't any of you here it?"

"Here what? What the bloody hell are you talking about, mate?" Ron asked.

"There was a voice." Harry said, still unsure about whether or not to keep speaking.

"Harry, hearing voices, even in the wizarding world, isn't good." Hermione said. Meanwhile, Lyra had an eerie suspicion after seeing the writing on the wall that she knew somewhat of what Harry was talking about. And she didn't like it one bit.

"Harry, what exactly did the voice sound like?" she asked cautiously. They looked surprised, but Harry answered, not completely sure in his answer,

"I dunno, it was low, and kept drawing out the s's. Sort of like a hissing, but not quite." The other two didn't yet realize the meaning of these words, but as soon as Lyra heard them, she paled a few shades whiter. She struggled to find her voice.

"A-alright. Uh, thanks."

"You okay? You like kind of pale." Harry asked.

"Fine. I just have to, uh, sort some things out in my mind. No big deal. I-I'll see you tomorrow then?"

"Yeah, good-night." Lyra nodded, then ran to her dormitory, took out a piece of parchment and a quill, and immediately started writing to her father.

_Father-_

_The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Can you tell me anything more than you already have about it? (Like maybe what the monstor inside was?) It's really important. _

_Thank you._

_Your daughter,_

_Lyra_

She decided to leave out the fact that she was almost sure that Harry was a Parselmouth. But no matter what anyone said, she had an eerie suspicion that this year wasn't going to get any better.

**_Quotes are from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets._**

**_Short, I know sorry!_**

_**Just so you know, (even though you probably could have guessed this,) now that school's started, I won't be able to update as frequently, but I'll try for once or twice a week. Thanks!**_

_**Thanks to all who are reading, and liking it. If you have any suggestions, questions, or comments, please feel free to review/private message me. Also, if you have any ideas at all, or would like to see something happen, let me know, and I'll consider putting them into a chapter. Thanks! ~ Leanora**_


	10. The Chamber of Secrets Revealed

_**I unfortunately do not own the world of Harry Potter.**_

_**I would just like to say a quick thanks to Singerinthesilence, Allen Pitt, Celeste Belle, balletdklou, domenica13, doulike14, saralestrange980, Crystal Cayden, x- Skylar . Malfoy -x, and pinkisemo13.  
**_

_**This is my second fan-fic. Hope you like it! (And if you haven't figured out by now, reviews are appreciated!)**_

_**My first (which I am also currently writing) is called The Malfoy's Servant. **_

_**For all those who have guessed her last name: Congratulations! (Because of this, I'm putting in more information than if no one had guessed yet. Just remember that even though **_**you**_** know, the **_**characters**_** don't.)**_

**Chapter 10:**

**The Chamber of Secrets Revealed**

_Lyra – _

_Though I am pleased that you are curious, I will only tell you very little. The Chamber of Secrets was opened 50 years ago, before my time. It is said to be one of Salazar Slytherin's greatest achievements. A great monster lies wihin the Chamber. Last time it was opened, many people were petrified by this great beast, and a Mudblood girl died. This is all the information that I will disclose to you. _

_Just a note – you are NOT to help the heir in any way, (no matter how much good he is doing,). _

_Your father, _

_Lucius Malfoy._

Lyra quickly covered up her father's name and sighed in frustration. She hadn't learned anything new. She re-read the letter. And suddenly, things started to click in her mind. Life, if only Harry could hear _Slytherin's _monster, then it monster, then it had to be some sort of serpent. And…what if the girl who had died had never actually left Hogwarts?

"Harry," she said, turning to her friend. "Moaning Myrtle…was she Muggleborn?"

"Uh, yeah, maybe, why?" He replied, not sure what she was trying to get at.

"Harry, I think I know where the opening to the Chamber of Secrets is." she said excitedly. Without another word, Harry, Ron and Lyra (Hermione had been found petrified a few weeks prior) raced down to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.

"Myrtle," Harry said cautiously, "How did you die?" Myrtle looked flattered.

"Ooooh, it was dreadful," she said with relish. "It happened right in here. I died in this very stall. I remember it so well. I'd hidden because Olive Hornby was teasing me about my glasses. The door was locked, and I was crying, and then I heard somebody come in. They said something funny. A different language, I think it must have been. Anyway, what really got me was that it was a boy speaking. So I unlocked the door, to tell him to go and use his own toilet, and then —" Myrtle swelled importantly, her face shining. "I died."

"How?" said Harry.

"No idea," said Myrtle in hushed tones. "I just remember seeing a pair of great, big, yellow eyes. My whole body sort of seized up, and then I was floating away…" She looked dreamily at Harry. "And then I came back again. I was determined to haunt Olive Hornby, you see. Oh, she was sorry she'd ever laughed at my glasses."

"Where exactly did you see the eyes?" said Harry.

"Somewhere there," said Myrtle, pointing vaguely toward the sink in front of her toilet.

Harry and Ron hurried over to it. Lockhart was standing well back, a look of utter terror on his face.

It looked like an ordinary sink. They examined every inch of it, inside and out, including the pipes below. And then Harry saw it: Scratched on the side of one of the copper taps was a tiny snake.

"That tap's never worked," said Myrtle brightly as he tried to turn it.

"Harry," said Ron. "Say something. Something in Parseltongue." Harry was about to, when the trio heard voices outside.

Echoing through the corridors came Professor McGonagall's voice, magically magnified.

"All students to return to their House dormitories at once. All teachers return to the staff room. Immediately, please."

Harry wheeled around to stare at Ron. "Not another attack? Not now?" The trio leaned out of the bathroom slightly.

"Then Professor McGonagall arrived.

"It has happened," she told the silent staff room. "A student has been taken by the monster. Right into the Chamber itself."

Professor Flitwick let out a squeal. Professor Sprout clapped her hands over her mouth. Snape gripped the back of a chair very hard and said, "How can you be sure?"

"The Heir of Slytherin," said Professor McGonagall, who was very white, "left another message. Right underneath the first one. 'Her skeleton will lie in the Chamber forever.' "

Professor Flitwick burst into tears.

"Who is it?" said Madam Hooch, who had sunk, weak-kneed, into a chair. "Which student?"

"Ginny Weasley," said Professor McGonagall.

Harry and Lyra felt Ron slide silently down onto the bathroom floor beside them.

"We shall have to send all the students home tomorrow," said Professor McGonagall. "This is the end of Hogwarts. Dumbledore always said…"

The staffroom door banged open again. For one wild moment, Harry was sure it would be Dumbledore. But it was Lockhart, and he was beaming.

"So sorry — dozed off — what have I missed?"

He didn't seem to notice that the other teachers were looking at him with something remarkably like hatred. Snape stepped forward.

"Just the man," he said. "The very man. A girl has been snatched by the monster, Lockhart. Taken into the Chamber of Secrets itself. Your moment has come at last."

Lockhart blanched.

"That's right, Gilderoy," chipped in Professor Sprout. "Weren't you saying just last night that you've known all along where the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets is?"

"I — well, I —"sputtered Lockhart.

"Yes, didn't you tell me you were sure you knew what was inside it?" piped up Professor Flitwick.

"D-did I? I don't recall —"

"I certainly remember you saying you were sorry you hadn't had a crack at the monster before Hagrid was arrested," said Snape. "Didn't you say that the whole affair had been bungled, and that you should have been given a free rein from the first?"

Lockhart stared around at his stony-faced colleagues.

"I — I really never — you may have misunderstood —"

"We'll leave it to you, then, Gilderoy," said Professor McGonagall. "Tonight will be an excellent time to do it. We'll make sure everyone's out of your way. You'll be able to tackle the monster all by yourself. A free rein at last."

Lockhart gazed desperately around him, but nobody came to the rescue. He didn't look remotely handsome anymore. His lip was trembling, and in the absence of his usually toothy grin, he looked weak-chinned and feeble. It was at that moment that the Gryffindors decided to show themselves.

"Professor! We know where the enterence to the Chamber is!" Harry said, stepping into the room, Ron and Lyra right behind him.

"Potter..wh-what are you talking about?" Professor McGonagall asked, shocked by the appearance of the three students, especially of Lyra.

"Moaning Myrtle's bathroom! That's where the opening is located."

"Very well. Gilderoy, you go with these three, the rest of us will deal with the other students," Professor McGonagall said shakily. And that's what happened. Harry went and once again knelt beside the sink, Lockhart watching apprehensively, and said,

"Open," The sink slid open, and revealed a long, downhill tunnel. The boys pushed Lockhart before them, and then followed, Lyra close behind them. They landed on a pile of bones, and saw in the distance the skin of the snake.

Lockart made a moaning sound, and the three students turned, but as they went to help him, he snatched all three kids 'wands, pointed at them, and told them to say good-bye to their memories. He was using Ron's wand however, and the spell backfired, causing the rocks to start falling in an avalanche style.

"Harry! Move!" Lyra screamed, pushing her friend out of the way, both falling to the ground in the process. After the dust had cleared, Harry and Lyra got up off the ground, and heard Ron calling to them.

"Oi! You alright?" he yelled.

"We're fine, just a bit shaken. What about you?" There was some noise, and then Ron called back,

"I'm fine. I think Lockhart's memory spell backfired to him though. He can't remember anything. Can you get through these rocks?"

"I don't think so. We'll go on ahead, and you try to start moving them." Harry said back. Ron agreed, and Harry and Lyra set off. They reached another door, and Harry turned to her before opening it.

"Are you sure you want to come? You could help Ron..." but trailed off as he saw her expression.

"I'm coming. End of story." Harry nodded, then turning to the door, said

"Open," in Parseltongue. They stepped through, and within another minute of walking, were at the entrance to a dimly lit, wide corridor. On either side, there were snakes' heads, and at the very end, was Salazar Slytherin's head. And at the end of the corridor, there on the floor lay the unmoving body of Ginny Weasly.

The two ran forward, and kneeled beside the unconscious girl. A moment of silence passed, then a voice spoke,

"She's alive, but only just." Lyra and Harry's heads turned sharply to face a teenage boy.

"Tom, you've got to help us!" Harry said urgently. When the boy simply laughed, Lyra's face controted with confusion.

"What do you mean? D o you know how she got like this?" Lyra questioned.

Well, that's an interesting question," said Riddle pleasantly. "And quite a long story. I suppose the real reason Ginny Weasley's like this is because she opened her heart and spilled all her secrets to an invisible stranger."

"What are you talking about?" said Harry.

"The diary," said Riddle. "My diary. Little Ginny's been writing in it for months and months, telling me all her pitiful worries and woes — how her brothers tease her, how she had to come to school with secondhand robes and books, how —" Riddle's eyes glinted "— how she didn't think famous, good, great Harry Potter would ever like her…" All the time he spoke, Riddle's eyes never left Harry's face. He had yet to notice Lyra, except for acknowledging her original was an almost hungry look in them.

"It's very boring, having to listen to the silly little troubles of an eleven-year-old girl," he went on. "But I was patient. I wrote back. I was sympathetic, I was kind. Ginny simply loved me. No one's ever understood me like you, Tom… I'm so glad I've got this diary to confide in… It's like having a friend I can carry around in my pocket…" Riddle laughed, a high, cold laugh that didn't suit him. It made the hairs stand up on the back of Harry's neck.

"If I say it myself, Harry, I've always been able to charm the people I needed. So Ginny poured out her soul to me, and her soul happened to be exactly what I wanted… I grew stronger and stronger on a diet of her deepest fears, her darkest secrets. I grew powerful, far more powerful than little Miss Weasley. Powerful enough to start feeding Miss Weasley a few of my secrets, to start pouring a little of my soul back into her…"

"What d'you mean?" said Harry, whose mouth had gone very dry. Lyra simply stared, stunned, at the teenage boy standing before them. _This couldn't be right. GInny would never do anything like that._

"Haven't you guessed yet, Harry Potter?" said Riddle softly. "Ginny Weasley opened the Chamber of Secrets. She strangled the school roosters and daubed threatening messages on the walls. She set the Serpent of Slytherin on four Mudbloods, and the Squib's cat."

"No," Harry and Lyra whispered in unision.

"Yes," said Riddle, calmly. "Of course, she didn't know what she was doing at first. It was very amusing. I wish you could have seen her new diary entries… far more interesting, they became… Dear Tom," he recited, watching Harry's horrified face, "'I think I'm losing my memory. There are rooster feathers all over my robes and I don't know how they got there. Dear Tom, I can't remember what I did on the night of Halloween, but a cat was attacked and I've got paint all down my front. Dear Tom, Percy keeps telling me I'm pale and I'm not myself. I think he suspects me… There was another attack today and I don't know where I was. Tom, what am I going to do? I think I'm going mad… I think I'm the one attacking everyone, Tom!'"

Harry's fists were clenched, the nails digging deep into his palms, Lyra struggling to comprehend, what he as saying, understand why he would make an innocent girl do such things.

"It took a very long time for stupid little Ginny to stop trusting her diary," said Riddle. "But she finally became suspicious and tried to dispose of it. And that's where you came in, Harry. You found it, and I couldn't have been more delighted. Of all the people who could have picked it up, it was you, the very person I was most anxious to meet…"

And why did you want to meet me?" said Harry. Anger was coursing through him, and it was an effort to keep his voice steady.

"Well, you see, Ginny told me all about you, Harry," said Riddle. "Your whole fascinating history." His eyes roved over the lightning scar on Harry's forehead, and their expression grew hungrier. "I knew I must find out more about you, talk to you, meet you if I could..." But Lyra had suddenly stopped listening as she racked her brain for anything that might help them. _Tom Riddle. Where _had_she heard that name? Her father must have mentioned it sometime, maybe when he was telling her past things about the first wizarding war, about Voldemort...VOLDEMORT!_

"Harry!" She cried, inturptting both boys, making them look at her. "Harry, he's Voldemort!" Riddle smiled, while Harry replied, confused,

"What are you talking about?"

"She's quite right, you know," Riddle responded, as he pulled Harry's wand from his pocket and began to trace it through the air, writing three shimmering words:

TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE

Then he waved the wand once, and the letters of his name rearranged themselves:

I AM LORD VOLDEMORT

Suddenly, Riddle's smile faded as music started to play from out of nowhere.

A crimson bird the size of a swan had appeared, piping its weird music to the vaulted ceiling. It had a glittering golden tail as long as a peacock's and gleaming golden talons, which were gripping a ragged bundle.

A second later, the bird was flying straight at Harry. It dropped the ragged thing it was carrying at his feet, then landed heavily on his shoulder. As it folded its great wings, Harry looked up and saw it had a long, sharp golden beak and a beady black eye. The bird stopped singing. It sat still and warm next to Harry's cheek, gazing steadily at Riddle.

"That's a phoenix." said Riddle, staring shrewdly back at it.

"Fawkes?" Harry breathed, and he felt the bird's golden claws squeeze his shoulder gently.

"And that —" said Riddle, now eyeing the ragged thing that Fawkes had dropped, "that's the old school Sorting Hat —"

So it was. Patched, frayed, and dirty, the hat lay motionless at Harry's feet.

Riddle began to laugh again. He laughed so hard that the dark chamber rang with it, as though ten Riddles were laughing at once.

"Now, Harry, I'm going to teach you a little lesson. Let's match the powers of Lord Voldemort, Heir of Salazar Slytherin, against famous Harry Potter, and the best weapons Dumbledore can give him…" Lyra heard him speak something that she couldn't understand, but Harry could, because not a moment later, he started running towards her, shouting as he did so,

"Lyra! He's calling the basilisk! Don't look!"She waited for him to meet up with her, and then the two Gryffindors sped away from Ginny, running for their lives. Harry grabbed her arm and pulled her away, into a side passage. They waited, not even daring to breath. When the basilisk turned away, they cautiously made their way back toward Riddle. A sound suddenly pierced the air. Fawkes, flying through the air, dropped something at Harry's feet, then went up toward the basilisk's face and blinded the great snake.

"Help me, help me," Lyra heard Harry muttered wildly from beside her, "someone — anyone…" Lyra closed eyes, which proved to be a mistake as something landed on her head. A second later, something seemed to ram down on her head. Muttering,

"Ow!", and she took the hat off of her head, and reached in to pull out of the sorting hat, a long, jewel-encrusted sword. Harry was on his feet, ready beside her in case she needed it, his eyes wide at the sword. Lyra saw the great snake lunge for a second time, and this time its aim was true — without thinkkng, Lyra threw her whole weight behind the sword and drove it to the hilt into the roof of the serpent's mouth, but as the sword reached its target, she felt one of the fangs of the basilisk peirce her arm. As the serpent fell, she slid down the wall toward the ground. Harry slid down after her, a concerned look of his face. She knew how deadly basilisk venom was, and she could already feel it working its way through her body. Harry was next to her, (though she didn't realize it was him) and removed the fang out of her arm as she stuggled to stay upright. Harry, suddenly wanted Riddle to go away so badly, more so than ever before, so, grabbing the diary, he took the fang from and plunged it straight into the heart of the book.

There was a long, dreadful, piercing scream. Ink spurted out of the diary in torrents, streaming over his hands, flooding the floor, and gathering in a puddle around the now barely conscious Lyra. Riddle was writhing and twisting, screaming and flailing and then — he had gone. Harry's wand (Riddle had taken it) fell to the floor with a clatter and there was silence. Silence except for the steady drip drip of ink still oozing from the diary. The basilisk venom had burned a sizzling hole right through it.

Meanwhile, Fawkes had landed next to Lyra's arm, and was crying. Both second year students' eyes widened, before Harry whispered

"Phoenixes have healing powers, don't they?"

"Yeah, I think so." Lyra replied just as quietly. As Lyra stood up shakily, Ginny started awake. She looked around, saw the dead, basilisk, and seeing Harry, drew a great, shuddering gasp and tears began to pour down her face.

"Harry — oh, Harry — I tried to tell you at b-breakfast, but I c-couldn't say it in front of Percy — it was me, Harry — but I — I s-swear I d-didn't mean to — R-Riddle made me, he t-took me over — and — how did you kill that — that thing? W-where's Riddle? The last thing I r-remember is him coming out of the diary —"

" It's all right," said Harry, holding up the diary, and showed Ginny the fang hole, "Riddle's finished. Look! Him and the basilisk. C'mon, Ginny, let's get out of here —"

"I'm going to be expelled!" Ginny wept as Harry helped her awkwardly to her feet. "I've looked forward to coming to Hogwarts ever since B-Bill came and n-now I'll have to leave and — w-what'll Mum and Dad say?"

"It'll be fine, Ginny. You didn't know what you where doing. Dumbledore will forgive you. How could he not?" Lyra said. Ginny looked toward the girl, acknowledging her for the first time, nodding toward her.

After a few minutes' progress up the dark tunnel, a distant sound of slowly shifting rock reached Harry and Lyra's ears.

"Ron!" Harry yelled, speeding up. "Ginny's okay! We've got her!" After Ron embraced his sister, and questioned Harry, Lyra noticed that there wasn't a clear way to get out. At that moment, Fawkes came into view, spreading his wings.

"I think he wants us to grab hold. He's going to fly us out of here." Lyra said, then continued at the elder Weasly's expression, "Fawkes isn't a normal bird." When they arrived back in the bathroom, Myrtle goggled at them. The four made their way to Professor McGonagall's office, knocked, then pushed open the door, and entered the room.

**_Sorry for the long wait. Hope this makes up for it!_**

**_Quotes are from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets._**

_**Thanks to all who are reading, and liking it. If you have any suggestions, questions, or comments, please feel free to review/private message me. Also, if you have any ideas at all, or would like to see something happen, let me know, and I'll consider putting them into a chapter. Thanks! ~ Leanora**_


	11. Aftermath of the Chamber

_**I unfortunately do not own the world of Harry Potter.**_

_**I would just like to say a quick thanks to Singerinthesilence, lostgurl33, Soccergirl0809, indieinnocent, imadoodlenoodle, Celeste Belle, lioness18, SplodeyYourFridge, XSkylarMalfoyX, Echo1317, LissaWonderland, and feji13.**_

_**This is my second fan-fic. Hope you like it! (And if you haven't figured out by now, reviews are appreciated!)**_

_**My first (which I am also currently writing) is called The Malfoy's Servant. **_

_**For all those who have guessed her last name: Congratulations! (Because of this, I'm putting in more information than if no one had guessed yet. Just remember that even though **_**you**_** know, the **_**characters**_** don't.)**_

**Chapter 11:**

**Aftermath of the Chamber**

**Note - Please go back and read the end of the last chapter - I changed it a bit! Sorry! (It's now Lyra who has pulled the sword out of the hat, not Harry. That part is the only change. Thanks!)**

For a moment there was silence as Harry, Ron, Ginny, Lyra, and Lockhart stood in the doorway, covered in muck and slime and (in Lyra's case) blood. Then there was a scream.

"Ginny!"

It was Mrs. Weasley, who had been sitting crying in front of the fire. She leapt to her feet, closely followed by Mr. Weasley, and both of them flung themselves on their daughter. Lyra smiled to herself at the contact…she wished her parents would care that much about her…and show it. Lyra suddenly herself, Harry and Ron being swept into Mrs. Weasley's tight embrace.

"You saved her! You saved her! How did you do it?"

"I think we'd all like to know that," said Professor McGonagall weakly. And so Harry told them, Lyra adding here and there. After answering questions, the Weaslys went up to the Hospital Wing. After talking with Harry a bit about Voldemort, Professor Dumbledore turned to her.

"And as for you, you showed great bravery and courage in the Chamber. If you need any more proof that you belong in Gryffindor, then I suggest you take a closer look at this," he said, gesturing to the sword. Lyra picked it up, and suddenly, reading the inscription, gasped, and breathed excitedly,

"Godric Gryffindor," she said, looking up in wonder.

"Only a true Gryffindor could have pulled that out of the hat, Lyra," said Dumbledore simply. Suddenly, the door burst open so violently that it bounced back off the wall. Lucius Malfoy stood there, fury in his face. And cowering behind his legs, heavily wrapped in bandages, was Dobby. Lyra gasped as she saw her her father, and then covered her mouth, astonished and in disbelief at the way Dobby looked.

"Good evening, Lucius," said Dumbledore pleasantly. Dobby had a look of terror on his face. When he saw Lyra his big eyes widened, but she quickly shook her head to signal to him to keep quiet. Luckily, the house elf got the message. As her father questioned Dumbledore's return, Lyra thought to herself _Why _wouldn't _he have come back? He's _Dumbledore_ for God's sake! _A few moments later, after asking about the Chamber, Dumbledore still holding up the diary, Lucius turned to leave. Lyra raised an eyebrow, and gestured with her head toward the diary. He in turn raised his eyebrow in question as to what had really happened in the Chamber. This took place in under a minute. As he left, he stopped in front of her and Harry.

"Mr. Potter," he said coldly, then, with less malice in his voice, "Lyra". She nodded once, and he left the room, his robes billowing out behind him, Dobby at his heels. The minute the door shut, Harry turned to her, surprise written on his face.

"You know Mr. Malfoy?" he asked.

"Huh, yeah, I do." He stared again at the door, silent, thinking. Then, he went to up to the headmaster, asked for the diary, removed one of his socks, stuck it into the middle of the diary, and ran out of the room. She ran after him, curious to see what he was up to. He had given the diary back to her father, who, as suspected, had thrown it at Dobby to carry. She suddenly smiled, seeing that her friend had just freed the poor house elf. Her father, however, upon realizing this, looked furious. He tried cursing Harry, but Dobby protected him, his magic throwing Lucius Malfoy to the floor. She was glad. There was no way she would have been able to protect her friend in time. After Harry made him promise that he wouldn't perform any more favors for him, Dobby walked over to her, Harry watching in curiosity and confusion. He bowed his head, and when he looked up, he found himself staring into the eyes of his former mistress.

"Thank you, Dobby, for everything." she said simply. His eyes widened, but he nodded once more, and left. Harry was at her side, a questioning look on his face, but Lyra simply shook her head, and the two friends made their way down to the Great Hall.

Lyra was glad to see that everyone who had been petrified seemed alright, and even Ginny seemed to be holding up fairly well. As she sat down, she looked over the the Slytherin table briefly to see a scowl upon her brother's face. That changed when he saw her, and Draco's expression changed to a questioning look, but only quickly. She simply shook her head, and mouthed the words

_"At home,"_. He nodded, and the two looked away, hoping no one noticed their silent communication. Fortunately, no one seemed to have noticed. Dumbledore started to speak then, but Lyra didn't really pay attention. Her mind was reeling. _Why had her father given Ginny the diary in the first place? _She would have to talk with her father when she got home. _Yeah, like that will go well._ she thought bitterly.

As the students made their way from the Hogwarts Express, onto Platform 9 3/4, Lyra walked over with the Weasleys, and Harry to meet Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.

"I'm Lyra, by the way. It's nice to meet you," then turning to her friends, continued to speak, "I've got to go. Have a good summer, though. I'll write if you promise to as well!" With their replies, and a few hugs, (Ginny and Hermione), she headed toward the Floo Network, and went home, exhausted, and yet exhilarated, hoping that next year would be that exiting, yet not that terrifying. Overall, she was one, very happy girl. But that was soon to (temporarily) change.

**_Sorry for the long wait. Hope this makes up for it!_**

**_Quotes are from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets._**

_**Thanks to all who are reading, and liking it. If you have any suggestions, questions, or comments, please feel free to review/private message me. Also, if you have any ideas at all, or would like to see something happen, let me know, and I'll consider putting them into a chapter. Thanks! ~ Leanora**_


	12. Questioning

_**I unfortunately do not own the world of Harry Potter.**_

_**I would just like to say a quick thanks to Allen Pitt, darkangel856, Singerinthesilence, ****Princess-Lazy-Chan**, Celeste Belle, and SplodeyYourFridge._

_**This is my second fan-fic. Hope you like it! (And if you haven't figured out by now, reviews are appreciated!)**_

_**My first (which I am also currently writing) is called The Malfoy's Servant. **_

_**For all those who have guessed her last name: Congratulations! (Because of this, I'm putting in more information than if no one had guessed yet. Just remember that even though **_**you**_** know, the **_**characters**_** don't.)**_

**Chapter 12:**

**Questioning**

Ten minutes after arriving safely home, all four Malfoys were in the living room, Lucius, Narcissa, and Draco all staring intently at Lyra.

_"Well_, what happened?" Draco asked, breaking the silence, all traces of his usual smirk gone from his face. Lyra just stared at them for a moment. _This _has_ to be a moment that would go down in history. They're _actually _caring about what I have to say? Weird._

So Lyra started at the beginning, starting with the day in Flourish and Bott's, and asked her father angrily what he was thinking my giving her new friend the diary. Lucius gave her some stupid reason about something or other going on with the ministry. She simply rolled her eyes, and continued. By the time she got to describing got Chamber of Secrets itself, her mother was looking worried, while Draco simply looked incredulous at the fact that there _was_ actually a Chamber of Secrets. However, this changed she got to what the monster inside was. Even he looked a bit afraid. (Well, no surprise there, as he's terrified of the Forbidden Forest, let alone a giant serpent.)

She suddenly stopped, however, and looked down. She was afraid of what their reactions would be to what happen next. And how they would react when she told them what the sword meant.

"Well, what happened next?" Draco said impatiently. Lyra took a deep breath and continued,

"I pulled a sword out of the Sorting Hat, and, er, I might have killed the basilisk with it." She said uncomfortably. The room was silent. Lucius was the first to speak.

"You did _what?_"

"I killed the basilisk with the sword. But one of his fangs got caught in my arm as I did so..." she trailed off as her mother spoke.

"But, basilisk venom is deadly, it's poisonous. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine mum. So anyway, Harry took the fang out of my arm, and slammed it into the diary, which made Riddle disappear. Then Fawkes, you know, Dumbledore's phoenix? Yeah, he came and cired, and phoenix tears healed the cut. Then we got out of there and went to McGonagall's office. That's when you came in," she said, nodding toward her father. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, to brace herself for their reactions, she continued.

"After you left, Dumbledore called me over, and told me to look at the sword more closely. Do you know what is inscribed on it? Do you know who's sword that is? That sword had the owner's name on it. It was Godric Gryffindor's sword. Dumbledore said that only a true Gryffindor could have pulled that out of the Sorting Hat." she finished speaking. She had gotten very quiet towards the end there, her voice barely above a whisper. She slowly looked up. All three faces showed shock, but her father's held anger, too. _I knew I shouldn't have told them, but it's good that they know,_ she thought.

Lucius finally spoke, his voice deadly cold, in a tone that Lyra had never heard him speak in, let alone to her.

"A Malfoy has _never_, I repeat _never_ not been in Slytherin. Till you. For two years, I thought that maybe you would become more like your brother. But this proves it. You are no more a Malfoy than that Weasly girl that was taken into the Chamber." He finished, and there was once more silence in the room. But this time, Lyra ran, ran away from the silence, and the looks, and up to her room, where she silently started to cry. She was absorbed in her own little world, so she didn't hear when, a few minutes later, there was a knock at her door. The person let themselves in, and came to sit on the bed next to her.

"You o.k.?" they asked. Lyra, startled, looked up into the gray eyes of her brother. She looked down again, and quietly said,

"I knew father would react badly, but this? I didn't think _this_ would happen."

"Well, you know what? So what? You may be in the worst house possible at Hogwarts," and Lyra shot him a look at that, but Draco ignored it and continued, "but don't forget, you _did_ kill the basilisk. You, _not Potter_, you! That's impressive by anyone's standards." Lyra looked up at Draco, shocked. She was so sure that _he_ of all people would be behind her father one hundred percent. So for him to not only support her, but to give her a _compliment_. Something _had_ to be up. And yet, fore once, there didn't seem to be a catch.

"Thank you." He nodded before speaking again,

"And just so you know, mum's behind you, too. Like I said, you _may_ be Gryffindor, but you _are_ her daughter. Father'll calm down eventually. But look at the bright side. We always knew you were different. So it won't be any surprise it you turn out to be a blood traitor. (Not that you are..." he said, at a glare from his sister,) "just saying! Look at Andromeda, she was fine until she married the Mud...Muggleborn. At least with you, we'll have a heads up." _So, _that's _where he was going with this. Stupid, arrogant git._ But all the same, she started to smile, and replied with a scarcastic

"Thanks." He nodded, a smirk once more on his face, and left. As Lyra lay back on her bed, she thought _let's just hope he's right. (About that first part. Well, maybe the second part, too. Who knows?)_ But if anything, if felt good to know that, even with all their differences and with all their fights, Draco still supported her. She smiled ever so slightly at this, and went to sleep just a bit less worried then she would have been before Draco helped her realize what was _hopefully, _the truth.

**Hey! So I've just started another story _Caught Between Worlds_. Please check it out! Thanks!**

**_Sorry for the long wait. Hope this makes up for it! If you want a preview, let me know!_**

_**Thanks to all who are reading, and liking it. If you have any suggestions, questions, or comments, please feel free to review/private message me. Also, if you have any ideas at all, or would like to see something happen, let me know, and I'll consider putting them into a chapter. Thanks! ~ Leanora**_


	13. Dementors

_**I unfortunately do not own the world of Harry Potter.**_

_**I would just like to say a quick thanks to Allen Pitt, Princess-Lazy-Chan, Singerinthesilence, CSIMiamiLuver2012, Celeste Belle, doulike14, and DaydreamerNightwriter. **_

_**This is my second fan-fic. Hope you like it! (And if you haven't figured out by now, reviews are appreciated!)**_

_**My first (which I am also currently writing) is called The Malfoy's Servant. **_

_**For all those who have guessed her last name: Congratulations! (Because of this, I'm putting in more information than if no one had guessed yet. Just remember that even though **_**you**_** know, the **_**characters**_** don't.)**_

**Chapter 13:**

**Dementors**

The rest of the summer passed quickly. Though her father was still in a foul mood, and being curt to her, Lyra for the most part just shrugged it off. At least, this was her _outward_ attitude. On the inside however, she was torn. As much as she loathed her father for giving Ginny the diary, as much as she was proud for what she had done in the Chamber of Secrets, she was still upset over her father's treatment, coldness, and distant remarks towards her.

And so came the end of summer. She and Draco soon found themselves up bright and early, on September 1st, scrambling around, packing things last minute, then off to the Hogwarts Express. The two siblings entered the train together, nodded to each other, then set off in opposite directions to find their respective friends. She quickly found her some of her fellow Gryffindors already in a compartment, and joined them, as well as a sleeping Professor R. J. Lupin. Once everyone was comfortably seated, Lyra rounded on Harry.

"So what happened over the summer? I heard that you blew up your aunt, or something like that? And then you ran away?"

"Er, yeah, that sounds about right. See, my aunt was visiting, and on the last day, she decided to start saying some things about my parents, especially my mum. So I reacted. By blowing her up. Didn't mean to, but I certainly don't regret it." he said with a laugh, which the other joined in, before continuing.

"So then I grabbed my stuff, and I ran away. The Night Bus found me, and took me to the Leaky Cauldron. Fudge didn't even give me any punishment, just let me off with a warning. He's worried about a guy named Sirius Black. Have you heard of him?" Lyra suddenly looked a bit uncomfortable, and racked her brain for anything that her father might have told her. (Though not much lately, considering how cold he was being to her.)

"Um, yeah, I think so. He was convicted without a trial for the murder of a large group of people, I think. But he was never _actually _found guilty. They just kind of assumed he did it, as he was found at the scene of the crime."

"Oh." was all the response she got from her friend. The door to their compartment opened at that moment, and there stood Draco, with his two "friends", Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle.

"Well, look who it is," he said, in his usual lazy drawl. "Potty and the Weasel." Crabbe and Goyle chuckled trollishly.

"I heard your father finally got his hands on some gold this summer, Weasley," said Malfoy. "Did your mother die of shock?" Ron stood up so quickly he knocked Crookshanks's basket to the floor. But then Professor Lupin gave a snort.

"Who's that?" said Malfoy, taking an automatic step backward as he spotted Lupin. Meanwhile, Lyra was simply shaking her head, both as a warning to her brother, and at his rudeness, and how mean he could be to her friends.

"New teacher," said Harry, who had gotten to his feet, too. _Most likely so he could hold Ron back from hurting Draco...not that he didn't deserve it, _thought Lyra. "What were you saying, Malfoy?" Harry continued.

Malfoy's pale eyes narrowed; he wasn't fool enough to pick a fight right under a teacher's nose.

"C'mon," he muttered resentfully to Crabbe and Goyle, and they disappeared. Harry and Ron sat down again, Ron massaging his knuckles.

"I'm not going to take any crap from Malfoy this year," he said angrily. "I mean it. If he makes one more crack about my family, I'm going to get hold of his head and —" Ron made a violent gesture in midair. Lyra flinched, but luckily, no one seemed to notice.

Now that the Slytherins had left, the group talked about light things, classes, their summers, etc. until suddenly, the train started slowing down.

"We can't possibly be there yet." Hermione said, looking out the window, to see that they where in the middle of nowhere. Suddenly, a coldness seemed to swoop down upon them, chilling them, causing frost on the windows, sucking out the hope, and the happiness of the passengers from them. Harry started to lean out into the corridor when he was suddenly thrown backward as the train pitched into total darkness. The door opened, and someone bumped into Lyra. She muffled a scream as she heard a friendly voice,

"S-Sorry!"

"Neville! Do you know what's happening?" Lyra asked her friend. But before Neville could reply, the door opened for a second time, and this time, everything seemed to go numb. Lyra's throat tightened, and she struggled to breath. As she felt someone fall to the floor, Professor Lupin stood up, murmured something unintelligible, and a burst of light issued from his wand, and drove the creature backward. As the lights came back on, Neville and Ginny (who it seemed had also stumbled upon them around the same time as Neville), both exited the compartment, and Lyra helped Harry to his feet. As she, Hermione, and Ron explained what happened to him, Professor Lupin took something out of his pocket, and starting breaking it into pieces, and then handed each of them one of those pieces.

"Eat it. It's chocolate. It'll help." He said.

"Sir," Lyra said, not eating the chocolate right away. (Surprisingly.) "What _was _that thing?"

"A dementor. One of the Dementors of Azkaban." He replied, then excusing himself, he left. Lyra paled at his response.

Ten minutes later, they were riding in carriages up to the great castle. As they stepped out, however, again Draco interfered.

"You fainted, Potter? Is Longbottom telling the truth? You actually fainted?"

"Shut up, Draco!" Lyra said, stepping in front of Hermione in order to be face to face with her brother. Out of the corner of her eye, Lyra saw that Ron's jaw was clenched, and he looked as if he would have liked to punch Draco very much, and was only just restraining himself...well, that, and Harry was holding onto the back of his robe.

"Is there a problem?" said a mild voice. Professor Lupin had just gotten out of the next carriage.

"Er, no, Professor. Not at all." Draco relied, his voice hinting at sarcasm. Then, glaring at Harry once more, he left. As they reached the Great Hall, however, they heard a voice calling out to Harry and Hermione. They turned to see Professor McGonagall. She then told both Ron and Lyra to continue walking, so they looked at each other, then at their friends, and went to save them seats.

"What do you think that's about?" Ron whisered to Lyra.

"Don't know. But I'll bet you anything Harry's there because of the dementors on the train. Not sure about Hermione, though." They came in a few minutes later, McGonagall behind them, adn the feast began. When it was over, however, the headmaster had some bad news for them. A serious matter for sure.

"As you will all be aware after their search of the Hogwarts Express, our school is presently playing host to some of the Dementors of Azkaban, who are here on Ministry of Magic business." Professor Dumbledore said. After talking a bit more about them, he turned to a happier announcement. This was welcoming Professor Lupin, who would be teaching Defesnse Against the Dark Arts, and Hagrid, who would be teaching Care of Magical Creatures. _This should be an interesting year then, shouldn't it. _Lyra thought, as she clapped to welcome the two new teachers. Then, with nothing more to say, the headmaster dismissed them all to bed.

As Lyra lay down that night, staring at the top of her bed, she couldn't help but feel a bit of dread that something bad was going to happen that year, and that that something had to do with the dementors that were currently surrounding Hogwarts, and with Sirius Black. She only hoped that she was wrong.

**Hey! So I've just started another story _Caught Between Worlds_. Please check it out! Thanks!**

_**Sorry for the long wait. Hope this makes up for it! **__**If you want a preview, let me know with your review!**_

**_Quotes are from Harry Potter and the Prisonor of Azkaban._**

_**Thanks to all who are reading, and liking it. If you have any suggestions, questions, or comments, please feel free to review/private message me. Also, if you have any ideas at all, or would like to see something happen, let me know, and I'll consider putting them into a chapter. Thanks! ~ Leanora**_


	14. Hippogriffs

_**I unfortunately do not own the world of Harry Potter.**_

_**I would just like to say a quick thanks to Singerinthesilence, X GamesLover, imadoodlenoodle, Celeste Belle, DaydreamerNightwriter, Ruby Red Grapefruit, and Reese-36.**_

_**This is my second fan-fic. Hope you like it! (And if you haven't figured out by now, reviews are appreciated!)**_

_**My first (which I am also currently writing) is called The Malfoy's Servant. **_

_**For all those who have guessed her last name: Congratulations! (Because of this, I'm putting in more information than if no one had guessed yet. Just remember that even though **_**you**_** know, the **_**characters**_** don't.)**_

**Chapter 14:**

**Hippogriffs**

The next afternoon, right after lunch, Lyra, along with both Gryffindor and Slytherin classmates, headed down towards Hagrid's hut for their first ever Care of Magical Creatures lesson. Once they were all there, Hagridled them to a clearing in the forest, where there stood magnificent beasts, in all different radiant colors. As the class cautiously approached, Hagrid started to talk.

"Now, firs' thing yeh gotta know abou' Hippogriffs is, they're proud," he said. "Easily offended, Hippogriffs are. Don't never insult one, 'cause it might be the last thing yeh do." Lyra glanced over at her brother as she heard him talking to Crabbe and Goyle. Of couse, he wasn't listening. _This won't end well, that's for sure,_she thought, knowing that her brother was most likely going to try to sabatoge Hagrid's first class.

"Yeh always wait fer the Hippogriff ter make the firs' move," Hagrid continued. "It's polite, see? Yeh walk toward him, and yeh bow, an' yeh wait. If he bows back, yeh're allowed ter touch him. If he doesn' bow, then get away from him sharpish, 'cause those talons hurt."

"Right — who wants ter go first?" At first no one moved. Lyra liked Hagrid well enough, but was unsure if she really wanted to get so close to one of these beasts.

"No one?" said Hagrid, with a pleading look.

"I'll go," said both Harry and Lyra at the same time, both students stepping forward. This got Draco's attention. His head snapped up at the voice of his sister. He visibly tensed ever so slightly

"Er, you can go, Harry. I'll wait my turn," Lyra said nervously to her friend. He nodded, and she stepped back, watching anxiously as Harry stepped forward and bowed to Buckbeak the hippogriff. Draco relaxed to his usual demeanor. As it turned out, not only did Harry manage to successfully pet the hippogriff, but he rode the great beast as well. Then it was time for everyone else to have a turn. Lyra was directed to a golden brown hippogriff. She bowed, and after a moment, the beast bowed back. As she petted its beak, she overheard her brother's loud, drawling voice, purposely drifting so that it could be heard. She turned her head to find him right next to Buckbeak, he was lazily petting the beasts's beak as he spoke,

"This is very easy," he was saying, "I knew it must have been, if Potter could do it… I bet you're not dangerous at all, are you?" he said to the Hippogriff. "Are you, you great ugly brute?" _Ugg, stupid git_, Lyra thought, but a less than a moment later, a worried looked crossed her face, because the minute he had finished speaking, Buckbeak had lashed out, and now he lay on the ground, his arm bleeding, and Hagrid trying to calm down the hippogriff.

"I'm dying! I'm dying, look at me! It's killed me!"

However, at these words, she knew that he would be just fine, that he would heal no problem, but that he would use this injury to his advantage._ Great, just great. You_ had _to go get youself hurt, didn't you._ As the class made their way up to the castle, Lyra overheard Pansy Parkinson talking rather loudly.

"...he gets fired, that great oaf. He really shouldn't have..." but trailed off, Lyra's wand was at her throat in an instant.

"You _really_ don't want to continue that sentence, do you Parkinson?" Then, lowering her wand, she continued,

"Well, actually, go on, please, do. Then you can join Draco in the hospital Wing. At least then we won't have to see your ugly, pug-shaped face."

Pansy's face contorted in anger, but she couldn't think of anything to say, so she just stood there for a moment, her face red, her mouth open. Then she turned on her heel, and stalked/ran up to the castle. The rest of the class followed, the Gryffindors sending the fuming Slytherins looks, as if saying "Go ahead, hex us, we dare you."

After getting back to the castle, Lyra ran upstairs, and sat down at a table to write her father a quick note. It read:

_Father – _

_It was not Hagrid's fault that Draco got hurt. The first thing that he told us was that hippogriffs are very proud creatures. That you should not under any circumstances offend one. If Draco had _actually_ decided to listen for once, then he wouldn't have gotten injured. Please don't allow Hagrid or the hippogriff to be punished/hurt. It is all and only Draco's fault. (Don't believe whatever story Draco concocts.)_

_Your daughter,_

_Lyra_

She just hoped her father would for once believe her word over Draco's, but she was already having doubts, seeing as a) he was still rather cold to her, and b) he tended to favor her brother. This definatly did not bode well for Hagrid or Buckbeak.

Later that day, while the rest of the student population was in the great Hall, eating dinner, Lyra snuck up to the Hospital carefully peered inside to find Pansy Parkinson sitting on Draco's bed. Draco's drawling voice drifted toward the entrance, so that Lyra was able to hear what he was saying.

"…Pansy. Enough, I'm tired. I need to rest my arm." Pansy pouted, but got up, kissing his forehead, (at which Lyra turned her head away, trying not to give in to the want to throw up). Pansy then left, and Lyra stared after the Slytherin girl a moment, then, checking to make sure that there was no one else around, she quickly went into the Hospital Wing, and crossed to Draco's bed. Her brother's eyes were closed, but opened when he felt her sit down on the edge of the bed.

"Why didn't you listen to Hagrid? You wouldn't be here if you did," she said, exasperated.

"Where's the fun in that?" he replied with a smirk before continuing.

"So, apparently you told Pansy off. … By calling her a pug."

"Yeah, pretty much. She deserved it." Lyra replied with a smirk. Draco laughed. If anyone had seen them at that moment, smirks identical, there would have been no doubt that Lyra was, indeed, a Malfoy.

"I'd better go," Lyra said after a moment's silence. "Just promise me you won't play up your injury."

"No can do," Draco replied. Lyra just shook her head.

"You're impossible," she teased. Then, standing up, she said,

"Night, Draco."

"Night, Lyra," was Draco's reply to his sister. Lyra then left. As she made her way up to Gryffindor tower, this statement was in her thoughts: _Nothing good can come of Draco getting injured by Buckbeak_._ This _defiantly_ won't turn out well_.

Meanwhilte, someone had indeed overheard the end of the conversation between the two siblings. And that person, was Madame Pomfrey.

**Hey! So I've just started another story _Caught Between Worlds_. Please check it out! Thanks!**

_**Sorry for the long wait. Hope this makes up for it! **__**If you want a preview, let me know with your review!**_

**_Quotes are from Harry Potter and the Prisonor of Azkaban._**

_**Thanks to all who are reading, and liking it. If you have any suggestions, questions, or comments, please feel free to review/private message me. Also, if you have any ideas at all, or would like to see something happen, let me know, and I'll consider putting them into a chapter. Thanks! ~ Leanora**_


	15. Defense Against the Dark Arts

_**I unfortunately do not own the world of Harry Potter.**_

_**I would just like to say a quick thanks to Princess-Lazy-Chan, Blue084, Allen Pitt, Celeste Belle, Renrinrin, XzMizukizX, FlameingFire, LadyGrimR., and je ne suis aucun ange.  
**_

_**This is my second fan-fic. Hope you like it! (And if you haven't figured out by now, reviews are appreciated!)**_

_**My first (which I am also currently writing) is called The Malfoy's Servant. My third is a bit more recent, and is called Caught Between Worlds. Please check them out. Thanks!**_

_**For all those who have guessed her last name: Congratulations! (Because of this, I'm putting in more information than if no one had guessed yet. Just remember that even though **_**you**_** know, the **_**characters**_** don't.)**_

**Chapter 15:**

**Defense Against the Dark Arts**

As the class filed in, they looked nervously around at each other. Who knew what this new teacher was going to be like? As Professor Lupin came into the room, everyone started to pull out their books, parchment, quills, and ink. That is, until he said that they wouldn't be needing them, that this would be a more practical exam. Now Lyra and her classmates were looking even more nervous and hesitantly followed their teacher out the door. Halfway to their destination, they saw Peeves, the Poltergeist, who was floating upside down in midair and stuffing the nearest keyhole with chewing gum. He didn't look up till they were standing right in front of him. When he saw Lupin, to the surprise of every student, (for usually Peeves was at least _civil_ to the teachers) he broke out in song.

"Loony, loopy Lupin," Peeves sang. "Loony, loopy Lupin, loony, loopy Lupin —"

Everyone looked quickly at Professor Lupin to see how he would take this; to their surprise, he was still smiling.

"I'd take that gum out of the keyhole if I were you, Peeves," he said pleasantly. "Mr. Filch won't be able to get in to his brooms."

Peeves paid no attention to Professor Lupin's words, except to blow a loud wet raspberry.

Professor Lupin gave a small sigh and took out his wand.

"This is a useful little spell," he told the class over his shoulder. "Please watch closely."

He raised the wand to shoulder height, said, "Waddiwasi!" and pointed it at Peeves.

With the force of a bullet, the wad of chewing gum shot out of the keyhole and straight down Peeves's left nostril; he whirled upright and zoomed away, cursing. Lyra, along with most students, was smiling, and laughing. Beside her, she heard Dean Thomas, a fellow Gryffindor, say

"Cool, sir!" From there, they proceeded to the staffroom, which was empty except for the Potion's Master. As Lupin went to close the door, they heard him say, his voice cold,

"Leave it open, Lupin. I'd rather not witness this." As he reached the door, however, he paused, and, turning back around.

"Possibly no one's warned you, Lupin, but this class contains Neville Longbottom. I would advise you not to entrust him with anything difficult. Not unless Miss Granger is hissing instructions in his ear." Neville, who happened to be standing next to Lyra at the moment, stared, disbelieving, and yet, not quite, at their professor. She leaned over to her friend, who had gone quite red, and whispered,

"Don't believe a word he says." Meanwhile, it seems that Professor Lupin had the same idea – that is, to defend Neville, for his response was,

"I was hoping that Neville would assist me with the first stage of the operation," he said, "and I am sure he will perform it admirably." Neville went even redder, while Snape looked angry, and left the room, the door slamming shut behind him. Neville now as red as a beet. As the wardrobe in the corner gave a shake, people jumped, but the defense Professor calmed them all down, saying it was nothing to worry about. He then asked the question.

"What is a boggart?" before he could finish, Hermione's hand was in the air. Lyra had to stifle a laugh at her friend's eagerness.

"It's a shape-shifter," she said. "It can take the shape of whatever it thinks will frighten us most."

"Couldn't have put it better myself," said Professor Lupin, and Hermione stood up straighter, proud.

"So the Boggart sitting in the darkness within has not yet assumed a form. He does not yet know what will frighten the person on the other side of the door. Nobody knows what a Boggart looks like when he is alone, but when I let him out, he will immediately become whatever each of us most fears. This means that we have a huge advantage over the Boggart before we begin. Have you spotted it, Harry?"

Hermione seemed to be glaring at their friend as if daring him to answer, which he did, correctly, by saying,

"Er – because there are so many of us, it won't know what shape it should be?"

"Precisely," said Professor Lupin, and Hermione put her hand down, looking a little disappointed.

"It's always best to have company when you're dealing with a Boggart. He becomes confused. Which should he become, a headless corpse or a flesh-eating slug? I once saw a Boggart make that very mistake — tried to frighten two people at once and turned himself into half a slug. Not remotely frightening. The charm that repels a Boggart is simple, yet it requires force of mind. You see, the thing that really finishes a Boggart is laughter. What you need to do is force it to assume a shape that you find amusing."

Professor Lupin then had them all practice saying the spell. Finally, he called Neville up to demonstrate, but when asked what his greatest fear was, he only mumbled his reply. He spoke again, in a low, quavering voice, and then said, aloud,

"Professor Snape." Professor Lupin then leaned down, and whispered something in her friend's ear, before unlocking the wardrobe door. Professor Snape stepped out. Neville raised his wand, and said,

"Riddikulus". The effect was immediate. Suddenly, Neville's grandmother's clothes appeared on the Potions Master, everyone laughed, and so the long line of people to have a turn grew. Parvarti Patil's boggart was a mummy, while Seamus Finnigan's was a banshee. Ron's boggart was (of course) a spider. She then heard Professor Lupin say, as he beconed her foward,

… "Lyra, you next," Draco looked up from his spot in the back of the room as his sister stepped forward. The boggart started to change as she approached. It looked like an invisible hand was writing in mid-air, for letters, written in fire, were starting to form.

**L – Y – R – A –– M **…

Both Draco and Lyra's eyes widened and not a moment too late, Lyra realized what was going on, what was happening, and yelled

"Riddikulus!" and the letters, one by one, burst into fireworks, making quite a display. Still, and wide-eyed, and in a trance-like state, she backed away from the fireworks as Lupin called the next student foward. Then she ran.

_**Sorry for the long wait. Hope this makes up for it! IF YOU WANT A PREVIEW, LET ME KNOW WITH YOUR REVIEW!!!**_

**_Quotes are from Harry Potter and the Prisonor of Azkaban._**

_**Thanks to all who are reading, and liking it. If you have any suggestions, questions, or comments, please feel free to review/private message me. Also, if you have any ideas at all, or would like to see something happen, let me know, and I'll consider putting them into a chapter. Thanks! ~ Leanora**_


	16. Why

_**fffI unfortunately do not own the world of Harry Potter.**_

_**I would just like to say a quick thanks to Ruby Red Grapefruit, Singerinthesilence, Allen Pitt, Celeste Belle, spannieren, neverasked4urlove, LadyGrimR., and KayeStar.  
**_

_**This is my second fan-fic. Hope you like it! (And if you haven't figured out by now, reviews are appreciated!)**_

_**My first (which I am also currently writing) is called The Malfoy's Servant. My third is a bit more recent, and is called Caught Between Worlds. Please check them out. Thanks!**_

_**For all those who have guessed her last name: Congratulations! (Because of this, I'm putting in more information than if no one had guessed yet. Just remember that even though **_**you**_** know, the **_**characters**_** don't.)**_

**Chapter 16:**

**Why**

Draco was frozen in place as he watched his sister run from the staffroom. Quickly, so that no one would notice his concern for her, he put on his usual sneer, but for once; it was only a façade, a mask. The minute class ended, he grabbed his books, and raced out of the room as fast as he could without drawing attention to himself, only to stop and realize that he had no idea where she had gone. After a few minutes, he gave up, but kept his eyes and ears open on the way toward Divination. As he made his way past the base of a set of stairs, however, he heard faintly the sounds of crying. Without further thought, he raced up the stairs to the Astronomy Tower, and rounding the corner, stopped dead in his tracks, the sight shocking him. His sister was huddled on the floor, knees to her chest, head down, resting on her knees, silently crying. Draco stood, momentarily stunned, unable to move. She had always seemed so strong. He couldn't remember the last time she had cried, really cried, (not the beginnings of it, like he had seen after his father's rebuttal over the summer). (They had always been taught that crying was a sign of weakness, and their father hated them to show that – they were taught and reprimanded enough that they learned to obey Lucius). Was this really the same girl who had punched him in the face last year? Quietly dropping his bag to the floor, he walked over to her, and spoke, saying a single word:

"Lyra?" The girl's head shot up, her body visibly tensing, fear written across her face, for a moment, until she recognized the intruder as her brother. As this recognition crossed her face, her body heaving with relief, Draco sat down next to his sister, putting an arm around her. She, in turn, leaned her head against his shoulder.

"Lyra," he said, after a pause, "Why does it matter to you so much? Why can't people know who you are?" Lyra's head lifted from his shoulder as she looked up, and her eyes met her brother's. They were, for the first time in months, hard, and almost cruel. At the same time, however, there was a certain sadness about them, but only if one looked closely.

"Why? Why does it matter? Because it does, Draco, because it does. It matters a lot. If…if people were to find out who I was…especially now…Draco, it would be bad. You know how people view our family. How people view you, our parents, our last name…need I go on? It just…Draco…it would…I just can't…." but couldn't continue because she broke out crying again. Draco was suddenly very uncomfortable, but nonetheless pulled her close to him, and she leaned against her brother, seeking the comfort she so long wanted…seeking his acceptance, and only, really, receiving a portion of it. After she seemed to have calmed down a bit, he asked her another question.

'"Lyra, what are you so afraid of?" In a shaky voice, she replied,

"Draco, I – I've always know I was different. That being put into another house besides Slytherin was a possibility. One that I wanted to become a reality, I might add. I relished the idea to tell you the truth. But I didn't want to be judged on anything but who I really was. And that meant that I didn't want to be judged on who my family is, or what they've done, or for what my last name is. Meaning that no one could know the truth. I just wanted to be judged as me. Is that so much to ask?"

"Don't you think that they'll never know the real you until they know the truth? And you do know that the teachers all know the truth, _right?_"

"Yes, I do realize that, of course I do, but there's nothing we can do about that. And to answer you're first question, no. I act the same way as I would with my last name, except I can't really acknowledge you. That's the only difference."

"Yeah, what a pity," her brother said sarcastically. "But you still haven't answered my question."

"Like I said before, you know how our family is viewed. By people other than Slytherins, I mean. I – I just don't think that they would understand why I did what I did. I – they just wouldn't. Maybe in a few more years, maybe never. I'm not sure. But I do know this: I'm not sorry, and yes, I still want to keep my last name a secret…it's hard, but worth it."

Draco simply nodded. He thought for a second, before realizing something else, and with this realization, a smirk crossed his face.

"You do know that people are going to ask you about your boggart, _right_. Because to be perfectly honest, that thing was weird." Lyra made a face at her Draco before speaking.

"Yes, I _do _realize that. I'll just tell them that I don't want to tell them. Let them think what they want. Those who know me, well,..." and trailed off shrugging.

The two siblings sat there for the rest of the period, before the bell rang, making them both jump, then realize that they had both missed a class, and hurried to grab their belongings, hoping to have time to drop them off in their respective dorms before going to lunch. Before leaving the tower, however, Lyra, wiping the last of her tears away from her face, turned once more to face her brother. Before he could do anything about it, she stepped forward, and embraced him. To her great surprise, he gave the embrace back, (he absolutely _loathed_ hugs, etc. In fact, as she thought back on this day later that night, she was surprised that he even came over to her, and allowed himself to comfort her.)

"Lyra, just remember two things. It's your decision, and though I think it's stupid, I'll keep it a secret."

"And the second thing," Lyra said as she looked to meet her brother's eyes, and as they came face to face, he said something that she would never forget, for he rarely showed it, let alone said it, his voice faltering as he said,

"I – I love you." The young girl just stared at her twin for a moment, before embracing him once more, and replying.

"I love you, too. I – Draco?"

"Mhmm." Came the reply, as he broke free of his sister, and turned to leave.

"Thank you," she said. Over his shoulder, he smiled slightly, and left the tower. Once around the corner, however, he stopped, leaning against the wall, thinking hard over what had just happened, letting his mind wander a bit, before heading down to the Great Hall.

Meanwhile, Lyra was leaning on the railing, gazing out at the landscaping, also thinking hard, before, she too, left the Astronomy tower and headed down to the Great Hall. Little did they know that this "little scene" would one day happen again, but would mean much, much more, and would be a much different situation. She went into the Great Hall to find everyone staring her. People moved at the Gryffindor table, making space for her so that she ended up sitting between Harry and Seamus Finnegan.

"You okay?" Hermione asked from across the table.

"Yeah, I think so." Hermione smiled at her friend, and Lyra returned it gratefully. Harry suddenly leaned over and whispered in her ear,

"Malfoy's staring at you." She looked up, across the room to see that Draco, was indeed, staring at her. When he saw her looking, a question crossed his face, or rather, his eyes. Lyra took this to mean _You sure you're okay?_ Lyra responded with a slight smile, and a nod. He nodded once, before turning his eyes away from her, and resumed conversation with his fellow Slytherins.

"What was that about?" asked Ron, disgust for her brother evident in his voice, before stuffing more food into his mouth.

"Nothing, it's nothing. Don't worry about it." She responded, probably too quickly, because both Ron and Harry gave her a weird look. Harry even went as far as to ask,

"You _sure_ you're ok". Lyra had to bite her lip to keep from laughing.

"Yeah, I'm fine now, thanks".

"Lyra," Hermione said, drawing her attention away from him,

"What exactly _was_ your boggart?"

"Umm, Hermione, I – " but her friend cut her off.

"Its fine. You don't have to tell us if you don't want to . I'm sorry." Lyra shook her head, saying,

"Don't worry about it." Then leaning over to Harry, she whispered a quick

"Thanks". She stole one more quick glance at her brother before leaving the Great Hall. Going up to her room, she realized that she was lucky…she had friends who would (hopefully) be there always for her, (so long as they didn't find out her secret). And she had a brother, who, as annoying and arrogant as he could be sometimes, deep down, (okay, _really _deep down considering how they were brought up - as unwise it was to show you were upset about something, it was that unwise to show you really cared about someone,) cared enough to make sure she was alright. For the first time that day, she smiled truly.

**WAS THIS OKAY, OR DID YOU FIND IT A LITTLE OUT OF CHARACTER/PLACE. PLEASE LET ME KNOW!**

_**Sorry for the long wait. Hope this makes up for it! **_

_**Thanks to all who are reading, and liking it. If you have any suggestions, questions, or comments, please feel free to review/private message me. Also, if you have any ideas at all, or would like to see something happen, let me know, and I'll consider putting them into a chapter. Thanks! ~ Leanora**_


	17. Frightening and Unfair Happenings

_**I unfortunately do not own the world of Harry Potter.**_

_**I would just like to say a quick thanks to KayeStar, Allen Pitt, spannieren, Celeste Belle, LadyGrimR.,** **blueIedangel, je ne suis aucun ange, fantasyland95, WolfKid 4eva**, **and magsdalena.**  
_

_**This is my second fan-fic. Hope you like it! (And if you haven't figured out by now, reviews are appreciated!)**_

_**My first (which I am also currently writing) is called The Malfoy's Servant. My third is a bit more recent, and is called Caught Between Worlds. Please check them out. Thanks!**_

_**For all those who have guessed her last name: Congratulations! (Because of this, I'm putting in more information than if no one had guessed yet. Just remember that even though **_**you**_** know, the **_**characters**_** don't.)**_

**Chapter 17:**

**Frightening and Unfair Happenings**

Two weeks later, Lyra was heading up to the Gryffindor Common Room, along with most people, (dinner had just ended in the Great Hall,) when she suddenly bumped into someone.

"Sorry!" she said. Dean Thomas grinned slightly at her. It was then Lyra realized that there as a massive hold up outside the Fat Lady's Portrait – no one seemed to be moving forward. Turning back to Dean, she asked,

"Hey, do you know what's going on?"

"No, idea." He replied, shaking his head.

"Let me through, please," came Percy's voice, and he came bustling importantly through the crowd. "What's the holdup here? You can't all have forgotten the password — excuse me, I'm Head Boy —" Lyra rolled her eyes at Percy's attitude.

"Git," she heard Ron say from behind her. She laughed shortly, which was cut short, and her face turned to one of worry as the crowd parted for Professor Dumbledore came sweeping through. Lyra tried to follow him, right behind Harry, Ron, and Hermione, all of whom were trying to get closer to see what was wrong. Lyra gasped, and covered her mouth with her hand. The Fat Lady had vanished from her portrait, which had been slashed so viciously that strips of canvas littered the floor; great chunks of it had been torn away completely. They heard more footsteps behind them and turned to see Professors McGonagall, Lupin, and Snape hurrying forward to help Professor Dumbledore settle the problem.

"We need to find her," said Dumbledore. "Professor McGonagall, please go to Mr. Filch at once and tell him to search every painting in the castle for the Fat Lady."

"You'll be lucky!" said a cackling voice. Lyra looked up to find Peeves the Poltergeist, bobbing over the crowd and looking delighted, as he always did, at the sight of wreckage or worry.

"What do you mean, Peeves?" said Dumbledore calmly, and Peeves's grin faded a little. He didn't dare taunt Dumbledore. Instead he adopted an oily voice that was no better than his cackle.

"Ashamed, Your Headship, sir. Doesn't want to be seen. She's a horrible mess. Saw her running through the landscape up on the fourth floor, sir, dodging between the trees. Crying something dreadful," he said happily.

"Poor thing." he added unconvincingly.

Did she say who did it?" said Dumbledore quietly.

"Oh yes, Professorhead," said Peeves, with the air of one cradling a large bombshell in his arms. "He got very angry when she wouldn't let him in, you see." Peeves flipped over and grinned at Dumbledore from between his own legs.

"Nasty temper he's got, that Sirius Black."

Lyra gasped as the poltergeist said this.

Professor Dumbledore sent all the Gryffindors back to the Great Hall, where they were joined ten minutes later by the students from Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin, who all looked extremely confused.

"The teachers and I need to conduct a thorough search of the castle," Professor Dumbledore told them as Professors McGonagall and Flitwick closed all doors into the hall. "I'm afraid that, for your own safety, you will have to spend the night here. I want the prefects to stand guard over the entrances to the hall and I am leaving the Head Boy and Girl in charge. Any disturbance should be reported to me immediately," he added to Percy, who was looking immensely proud and important. Despite the seriousness (no pun intended) of the situation, Lyra rolled her eyes at the eldest Weasley boy currently at Hogwarts.

"Send word with one of the ghosts."

Professor Dumbledore paused, about to leave the hall, and said, "Oh, yes, you'll be needing…"

One casual wave of his wand and the long tables flew to the edges of the hall and stood themselves against the walls; another wave, and the floor was covered with hundreds of squashy purple sleeping bags.

"Sleep well," said Professor Dumbledore, closing the door behind him.

The hall immediately began to buzz. Gryffindors started to tell everyone else what had happened. Some of the Slytherins appeared to be uninterested, but Lyra could tell the difference. They were acting very smug, as if they knew this would happen.

"Everyone into their sleeping bags!" shouted Percy. "Come on, now, no more talking! Lights out in ten minutes!"

"C'mon," Ron said to Harry, Hermione and Lyra; as they seized four sleeping bags and dragged them into a corner, Lyra glanced around, and met her brother's eyes. For one instant, she could have sworn the corner of his mouth turned up in a smile, but in reality, Lyra saw it for what it is … a smirk. Smiling, she shook her head, and followed her friends.

All around them, people were asking one another the same question: "How did he get in?" Hearing the ridicules answers that people were throwing about, Hermione huffed, and asked,

"Honestly, am I the only person who's ever bothered to read Hogwarts, A History?"

"Probably," said Ron. "Why?" Lyra forced a laugh.

"Because the castle's protected by more than walls, you know," said Hermione. "There are all sorts of enchantments on it, to stop people entering by stealth. You can't just Apparate in here. And I'd like to see the disguise that could fool those Dementors. They're guarding every single entrance to the grounds. They'd have seen him fly in too. And Filch knows all the secret passages, they'll have them covered…"

Lyra rolled her eyes at her friend's spouting of knowledge, just as Percy yelled,

"The lights are going out now! I want everyone in their sleeping bags and no more talking!"

The candles all went out at once. The only light now came from the silvery ghosts, who were drifting about talking seriously to the prefects, and the enchanted ceiling, which, like the sky outside, was scattered with stars.

Lyra let her mind wonder. She was worried for her friend. If Sirius Black really had come back to harm Harry, well, she would do what she could to help him, but honestly, what chance did the four of them have against a mass murderer? (True, they took down a basilisk, and a memory of Lord Voldemort last year, but somehow, that seemed different. At least then, they had _some_ idea of what they were doing to do!)

Over the next few days, talk could be heard all over the castle of Black, his intrusion, and escape. The Gryffindors felt they got the worst deal of them all, for since the Fat Lady's ripped canvas had been taken off the wall replaced it with the portrait of Sir Cadogan and his fat gray pony. No Gryffindor liked him very much, and Lyra herself, (though she wasn't an _extremely_ violent person, had to resist taking his sword and slashing his portrait just so they wouldn't have to listen to him anymore).

A week or two later, Harry came into the common room after the final practice session before the first Quidditch match looking tired, and very angry. Lyra, Ron, and Hermione took one look at his face, and knew something was wrong. It was Ron who spoke up,

"What happened, mate?" he asked warily. Harry just managed to keep from exploding as he spoke.

"We're not playing Slytherin on Saturday! Wood's just told us! He said that Flint's only reason is that they're Seeker's arm is still injured, even we all know that Malfoy's just faking it so that they won't have to play in this weather!"

Ron was the first to react out loud,

"That's totally unfair! EVERYONE knows he faking it!"

"I know, but Wood says that since we can't prove it, we'll be playing Hufflepuff on Saturday." Harry responded.

Lyra just groaned. It was just like Draco to use an "injury", (that was healed) to get out of doing playing in bad weather. He was so selfish, and arrogant, and…acting just like himself…and her father, for that matter. _Hmmm…I wonder where he got it from_, she thought sarcastically.

The day before the match, the winds reached howling point and the rain fell harder than ever. It was so dark inside the corridors and classrooms that extra torches and lanterns were lit. The Slytherin team was looking very smug indeed, and none more so than Malfoy.

"Ah, if only my arm was feeling a bit better!" he sighed as the gale outside pounded the windows. Lyra overheard this, and marched up to him.

"Oh, come on! We _all_ know you're faking it! You just think you're too good to play in this weather. Only a _real _team would. It's no wonder you keep losing."

She said, taunting her brother. Flashes of anger crossed across the Slytherins' faces. No one was more upset, however, then Draco. Meanwhile, her friends just stood stunned at her 'boldness'. Hermione was the first to react. She quickly stepped forward, and guided Lyra away from the angry Slytherins before they could do anything. Ron and Harry quickly followed, shooting looks at the Slytherins. As soon as the snakes were out so sight, Ron rounded on Lyra, exclaiming,

"Where in Merlin's name did that come from? That was bloody amazing!" Lyra blushed slightly, and said,

"Thanks!"

"Come on. Let's go back to the common room. Harry should rest before the big game tomorrow," she said, trying to take the attention off of her. And so the four set off back to the common room. Little did they know what was in store for them, both good and bad.

_**HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!**_

_**Sorry for the long wait. Hope this makes up for it! **_

**_Quotes (a.k.a anything you recognize!) are from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. _**

_**Thanks to all who are reading, and liking it. If you have any suggestions, questions, or comments, please feel free to review/private message me. Also, if you have any ideas at all, or would like to see something happen, let me know, and I'll consider putting them into a chapter. Thanks! ~ Leanora**_


	18. Snape and Quidditch Mishaps

_**I unfortunately do not own the world of Harry Potter.**_

_**I would just like to say a quick thanks to Singerinthesilence, Celeste Belle, Allen Pitt, harmony2009, Eternal L0ve, panneler-san, Princess-Lazy-Chan, vmarslovahhh18, and spannieren.  
**  
_

_**This is my second fan-fic. Hope you like it! (And if you haven't figured out by now, reviews are appreciated!)**_

_**My first (which I am also currently writing) is called The Malfoy's Servant. My third is a bit more recent, and is called Caught Between Worlds. Please check them out. Thanks!**_

_**For all those who have guessed her last name: Congratulations! (Because of this, I'm putting in more information than if no one had guessed yet. Just remember that even though **_**you**_** know, the **_**characters**_** don't.)**_

**Chapter 18**

**Snape and Quidditch Mishaps**

As Lyra walked down to the Quidditch Pitch and took a seat next to her friend, she glanced about, and saw Snape glaring at Harry as the teams emerged from the changing rooms. Her mind was brought back to yesterday's Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson.

_Lyra walked into the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, and stopped dead in her tracks. At the desk stood, not Professor Lupin, but Professor Snape. She quietly took her seat at an empty desk. The minute class officially started, Snape began to talk. _

_"Open up to page,…" but he didn't get to finish as the door swung open._

_"Sorry, Professor Lupin, I…" Harry said, out of breath, stopping as he spotted Snape, who sneered at the Gryffindor student, then docking 15 points from the lion house, told him to sit down, which Harry did so reluctantly, sliding into the empty seat beside Lyra._

_"As I was saying before Potter interrupted, Professor Lupin has not left any record of the topics you have covered so far —"_

_"Please, sir, we've done Boggarts, Red Caps, Kappas, and Grindylows," said Hermione quickly, "and we're just about to start —"_

_"Be quiet," said Snape coldly. "I did not ask for information. I was merely commenting on Professor Lupin's lack of organization."_

_"He's the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher we've ever had," said Dean Thomas boldly, and there was a murmur of agreement from the rest of the class. Snape looked more menacing than ever._

_"You are easily satisfied. Lupin is hardly overtaxing you — I would expect first years to be able to deal with Red Caps and Grindylows. Today we shall discuss —"_

_Lyra watched him flick through the textbook, to the very back chapter, which Lyra assumed the Potions Master must know they hadn't covered yet._

_"— werewolves," said Snape. Lyra's eyes widened. Of all the creatures…werewolves? She wondered why Snape had picked that particular creature._

_"But, sir," Lyra heard Hermione say, and Lyra's mouth turned up in a slight smile at her friend's want to correct the teacher, (even if it was Snape) and follow the curriculum correctly, "we're not supposed to do werewolves yet, we're due to start Hinkypunks —"_

_"Miss Granger," said Snape in a voice of deadly calm, "I was under the impression that I am teaching this lesson, not you. And I am telling you all to turn to page 394." He glanced around again. "All of you! Now!" Lyra and Harry shared a quick glance as they removed their text books from their bags, and opened up to the desired page._

_"Which of you can tell me how we distinguish between the werewolf and the true wolf?" said Snape._

_Everyone sat in motionless silence; everyone except Hermione, whose hand, as it so often did, had shot straight into the air._

_"Anyone?" Snape said, ignoring Hermione. His twisted smile was back. "Are you telling me that Professor Lupin hasn't even taught you the basic distinction between —"_

_"We told you," said Parvati suddenly, "we haven't got as far as werewolves yet, we're still on--"_

_"Silence!" snarled Snape. "Well, well, well, I never thought I'd meet a third-year class who wouldn't even recognize a werewolf when they saw one. I shall make a point of informing Professor Dumbledore how very behind you all are…"_

_"Please, sir," said Hermione, whose hand was still in the air, "the werewolf differs from the true wolf in several small ways. The snout of the werewolf —"_

_"That is the second time you have spoken out of turn, Miss Granger," said Snape coolly. "Five more points from Gryffindor for being an insufferable know-it-all."_

_Hermione went very red, put down her hand, and stared at the floor with her eyes full of tears. It was a mark of how much the class loathed Snape that they were all glaring at him, because every one of them had called Hermione a know-it-all at least once, and Ron, who told Hermione she was a know-it-all at least twice a week, said loudly, "You asked us a question and she knows the answer! Why ask if you don't want to be told?"_

_At this, Lyra glanced at Harry. Though she knew that he was right, she also knew that Snape would not like that remark one bit. They were in for it now._

_"Detention, Weasley," Snape said silkily, his face very close to Ron's. "And if I ever hear you criticize the way I teach a class again, you will be very sorry indeed."_

_No one made a sound throughout the rest of the lesson. They sat and made notes on werewolves from the textbook, while Snape prowled up and down the rows of desks, examining the work they had been doing with Professor Lupin._

_"Very poorly explained… That is incorrect, the Kappa is more commonly found in Mongolia… Professor Lupin gave this eight out of ten? I wouldn't have given it three…" (Lyra knew, however, that he was just trying to degrade them.)_

_When the bell rang at last, Snape held them back._

_"You will each write an essay, to be handed in to me, on the ways you recognize and kill werewolves. I want two rolls of parchment on the subject, and I want them by Monday morning. It is time somebody took this class in hand. Weasley, stay behind, we need to arrange your detention." _

_The class left, very upset. _

Lyra was brought back to the present by some cheering, signaling that the Snitch had been released. She shook her head to clear her mid from the bad experience, and watched the game intently. She was, of course, rooting for Gryffindor. Everything was going fine. That is, until the end. Cedric Diggoryand Harry were neck to neck, both reaching for the Snitch, when a sudden coldness and feeling of dread swept over the pitch. She knew at that moment it was over. And she was right. She watched with horror as her friend fell, unconscious to the ground, his broom escaping into the howling winds. Diggory caught the Snitch just as his opponent started to fall, but as he realized what was happening, he raced down as well, far too late to catch his classmate, but tried to ask Madame Hooch for a rematch. But even Wood said that it was fair. They magiced Harry onto a stretcher, which they levitated, bringing him, along with some very anxious friends, Lyra included, to the hospital wing.

When Harry awoke, Lyra and Hermione had the misfortune of telling their friend what had happened to his poor broom – it had flown straight into the Whomping Willow, which crushed it to smithens. The pieces they had left, they were very lucky to have collected. But Harry's dejected and fallen face made Lyra, as well as everyone in the room feel even worse. She just hoped that someone would help him out to cheer him up, but at that moment, nothing seemed possible.

**_HEY ALL! I'M THINKING OF STARTING ANOTHER STORY! I A POLL UP ON MY PROFILE TO WHICH ONE YOU GUYS WOULD READ! (Sorry for the all caps. Thanks!)_**

_**Sorry for the long wait. Hope this makes up for it! **_

**_Quotes (a.k.a anything you recognize!) are from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. _**

_**Thanks to all who are reading, and liking it. If you have any suggestions, questions, or comments, please feel free to review/private message me. Also, if you have any ideas at all, or would like to see something happen, let me know, and I'll consider putting them into a chapter. Thanks! ~ Leanora**_


	19. Christmas at Malfoy Manor

**_I unfortunately do not own the world of Harry Potter. That honor belongs to J. K. Rowling._**

_**I would just like to say a quick thanks to Princess-Lazy-Chan, Celeste Belle, Singerinthesilence, spannieren, FashionStarlet, SuperxGirlx5894, and xxbabyxox.**  
_

_**This is my second fan-fic. Hope you like it! (And if you haven't figured out by now, reviews are appreciated!)**_

_**My first (which I am also currently writing) is called The Malfoy's Servant. My third is is called Caught Between Worlds. Please check them out. Thanks!**_

_**For all those who have guessed her last name: Congratulations! (Because of this, I'm putting in more information than if no one had guessed yet. Just remember that even though **_**you**_** know, the **_**characters**_** don't.)**_

**Chapter 19**

**Christmas at Malfoy Manor**

_Lyra - _

_You won't believe what I just got in the owl post! A Firebolt! Can you believe it?!?! Hermione's worried though. There was no note with the broom, so she's nervous that Sirius Black sent it jinxed to kill me. Ron and I said to her "how in the world would an escaped convict be able to purchase a broom from Diagon Alley?" Anyway, I'll show it to you when you get back. Imagine Malfoy's face when he sees this! Have a good holiday!_

_- Harry_

Lyra smiled as she read Harry's letter, and it broadened as she pictured her brother's expression when he found out. She and Draco had gone home for the holidays, but the Gryffindor friends had made sure to exchange presents before she left. She missed her friends, but at the same time, was glad to be back home where she didn't have to worry about any charms, or secrets. The key to keeping every student, (and Professor who she didn't have as a teacher,) in the dark was a spell. (Dumbledore had (luckily) given his permission to use it there, granted it was only used for her specific purpose, and nothing else far-fetched.) It was a spell that allowed her peers to, though maybe become suspicious at times, never guess unless she specifically told them so. She hated this, but it was the only way to make sure that her identity remained a secret. Even Arthur Weasley didn't know that Lucius had a daughter. (Not that her father was proud of her.) When it public, all she and Draco had to do was act as if they didn't like each other, and her mum and father couldn't act as if they knew her closely. (This was harder for her mum, then her father, no doubt about _why._)

She sighed, and put the letter down, and was about to reply when her door swung open. Draco walked in and Lyra quickly hid the letter from her brother's prying eyes.

"Hey!" he said casually. Now that they were away from Hogwarts, and their father wasn't in the room, he wasn't as cold as he usually was. _This_ was the Draco that Lyra liked.

"Hey Draco," she replied in the same manner.

"Come on, Mum wants us downstairs to help her plan and decorate for the Christmas ball." Lyra groaned, and both children shuddered. Usually when their mother wanted help with this kind stuff, there was no escape. It was extra torturous for Lyra who, though she learned everything about the balls, etiquette, dancing, etc., though she helped prepare for them, she could never go, (not that Draco had been able to go before this either, they were both "too young" their parents had claimed. But Draco had always been put in a room with his friends, while Lyra stayed alone in hers.), (which was why she preferred to stay at Hogwarts for the duration of the holidays). The two siblings headed downstairs, only to stop short. Their mum had already set out so much stuff that it was hard to tell where anything began. Shooting each other a look, they headed over to great their mother.

"Hello, Mother. You asked to see us?" Lyra asked politely. Narcissa smiled her children pleasantly, and Lyra knew that they were in for a long day of "fun"! (NOT!)

"Yes, I did. You and your brother can start hanging those decorations on the banister that leads upstairs, and from the hanging." Narcissa said, pointing to a pile of ribbons, and bells, and hangings. The twins simply nodded, saying in unison, before replying,

"Yes Mother," and going to gather up the decorations their mother had pointed out, made their way over to the long, gliding banister. Lyra took one look up and down the long handrail and sighed. This was the longest set of stairs of Malfoy Manor. So of course, _this _was the staircase's handrail that had to be decorated. She knew why this needed to be done, but that didn't mean she had to like it. It was because it was on these stairs that their parents, (and soon Draco,) entered from each time in the past, and would be entering from this time as well. As they put down their decorations, and took one specifically from the pile to start rapping around the gleaming banister, Lyra looked up at her brother, and asked her question.

"Draco? Why do we always have to help mum decorate for these things if we're home?" Her twin looked up, and just shrugged before answering her.

"Because she thinks that we'll all become closer if we have some 'family bonding' time." he snorted before continuing. "Yeah, right. Not that I don't mind spending time with you, but this isn't exactly how I want to spend my break." Lyra laughed slightly before replying,

"I know what you mean." After a few minutes of silence, Draco voiced something that had been bothering him.

"So what's the deal with you and Potter?" Lyra looked up, confusion in her eyes and voice,

"What do you mean? We're friends."

"That's it?" Lyra rolled her eyes at her brother's assumption.

"Yes, Draco, that's it. What's your problem with my friends, anyway? (and, holding up her hand to stop him, she continued in the same sentence,) You know what, on second thought, _don't_ answer that." Draco ignored her, as usual.

"Well, besides the obvious, Black's after Potter, isn't he? He's already attempted to break into Hogwarts once. What if he tries again? ..." Lyra interrupted.

"Wait a minute. Draco, you're not worried that he's going to target _me,_ are you? Because I'm one of Harry's closer friends?" The girl sighed, shaking her head. "I'll be _fine _Draco. Don't worry about me. Now how about you. What's going on between you and Parkinson?" She asked, changing the subject. Her brother shuddered.

"A friend. _ONLY. _You know father expects us to be together. Pureblood reputation, that sort of thing. Something _you _wouldn't understand." His sister stuck out her tongue at him. He chuckled.

"Draco, she practically _drools_ over you. It's _disgusting_!" By now they were about half way up the stairs, a feat within itself.

"So...what do you honestly think of Professor Lupin?"

"He needs some new clothes. (Lyra rolled her eyes, and said "I meant his teaching style and personality, you idiot", in response to this.) But besides that, he's definitely better than Lockhart was. ("I don't think that _anyone _can be worse than Lockhart, Draco,") He's not that bad. He's actually pretty good. We're finally learning something in that class. " Draco finally confessed. Lyra smirked triumphantly.

"Thank _you_," she said, with a certain, smug air about her. The siblings finished their decorating within the hour, and then went their separate ways until their were called down for dinner.

Lucius sat at the head of the table. Narcissa sat to his right, and Draco to his left. Lyra entered and took her place next to her brother. Her father finally spoke up, addressing his family.

"Tomorrow evening is the Malfoy Ball. I expect you to be on your best behavior." Draco nodded once as he responded,

"Yes, sir."

"Is everything set?" he asked his wife. She nodded dutifully as she replied,

"Yes, Lucius."

"Good," he said, before turning to Lyra.

"As for you. You will stay in your room as you have in past times. You are not to come out for any reason. Is that understood?" Looking down, she answered,

"Yes, father." Lucius eyed his daughter suspiciously for a moment, before continuing to eat. Under the table, Draco took his sister's hand, and sqeezed it once. She looked up at this, and, though his expression was neutral, (as result of being around their father,) his eyes told a different story. She smiled slightly, and muttered,

"Thank you," under her breath.

Later that evening, Lyra sat on her bed, leaning against the pillows legs drawn up, thinking. A knock on her bedroom door jolted her out of her thoughts back to the present.

"Come in," she said warily, and the door opened to reveal that it was only Draco. She sighed in relief, and returned to her original position. Draco came and sat on the edge of her bed.

"How you doing?" he asked her.

"Fine. I just wish I could go to that ball. But we both know that's never going to happen."

"Yeah, well, especially after you told father what happened with the Chamber of Secrets, I can't see him relenting, can you?"

"No, I guess not." Sitting up, she fully faced her brother,

"But you'll have to tell me _everything_, got it? Because you _are _allowed to go this year."

"Joy!" Draco replied sarcastically. There was a moment of silence that could be heard down the hallway, before Lyra asked quietly,

"Draco? Why do you always end up comforting me?"

"Maybe it's because I'm your brother? Maybe it's because father likes me best. Maybe it's because you get much more upset over things than I do, considering you're a girl. I don't really know. All I know is that I'm getting tired of it. So can you try to minimize it to twice a year?" Lyra laughed a bit.

"Yeah, I'll try. But remember, as you said, I'm a girl, so no promises."

"Draco? Can you come here please?" came Narcissa's magically projected voice through the house.

"Night, sis," Draco said as he got up.

"Night, Draco. And thanks," she said, sincerity in her voice.

"No problem. I simply _love _coming in here to comfort you." he said smirking. Lyra playfully smacked him in the arm, and Draco left to go downstairs, a small smile playing on his face, while Lyra held the same expression as she got ready for bed.

As she thought about what her twin had said, she realized that he was right. She got upset over the smallest of things. She already knew that her father didn't really like her. So those things really _shouldn't _upset her anymore. And so, her one of her last thoughts as she fell asleep, was that she vowed to try and keep her promise to Draco - she decided that she _wouldn't _let the little things get to her anymore. _Now if only Draco would follow his own advice_.

**Hey! Hope this clarifies why no one has guessed who she is yet!**

**_HEY! SO I HAVE ACTUALLY STARTED ONE OF THE STORIES FROM THE POLL. IT'S CALLED ANOTHER PROFESSOR SNAPE. PLEASE CHECK IT OUT! THANKS!!! :)_**

**_OK, SO NOW I'VE PUT UP A DIFFERENT POLL! PLEASE VOTE ON IT! I WANT YOUR OPINIONS!_**

_**Sorry for the long wait. I had mid-terms! This better make up for it! It's extra long, just for you!!**_

**_Quotes (a.k.a anything you recognize!) are from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. _**

_**Thanks to all who are reading, and liking it. If you have any suggestions, questions, or comments, please feel free to review/private message me. Also, if you have any ideas at all, or would like to see something happen, let me know, and I'll consider putting them into a chapter. Thanks! ~ Leanora**_


	20. Laughter and Worries

**_I unfortunately do not own the world of Harry Potter. That honor belongs to J. K. Rowling._**

_**I would just like to say a quick thanks to Singerinthesilence, harmony2009, spannieren, cullens-little-sis, Seraya-Cullen**, **Princess-Lazy-Chan, xxbabyxox, Celeste Belle, Allen Pitt, magsdalena, Hao'sAnjul, Hikari no Hoshi, Dandruff Chick x, PrimiGrl, and AcroPrincess.  
**_

_**This is my second fan-fic. Hope you like it! (And if you haven't figured out by now, reviews are appreciated!)**_

**_I am writing 5 other fan-fics at this time as well. If you could please check out my profile and check them out, I would greatly appreciate that. Thanks! :)_**

_**For all those who have guessed her last name: Congratulations! (Because of this, I'm putting in more information than if no one had guessed yet. Just remember that even though **_**you**_** know, the **_**characters**_** don't.)**_

**Chapter 20:**

**Laughter and Worries**

Lyra was laughing so hard as she made her way back to the common room with her friends, it hurt.

See, they had just had a run in with her brother and his friends…who just _happened_ to see Harry's new broom…the Firebolt. It was as amazing as he said it was in his letter.

Draco's expression had been priceless. Talk about getting upset over the little things. He stood there gaping, before stalking away. And if Lyra knew him, the minute he got to the Slytherin Common Room, he would start going on one of his "Life's not fair…Potter gets everything" rants. Before he left, he shot her an accusing look that basically said, "Did you know about this?" to which she replied with a shrug, and a smirk, most likely infuriating him even more.

However, her smile soon faded as the four met Professor McGonagall on their way back. She had a grim look on her face. Hermione had informed her of the broom's mysterious arrival. So she was taking it to strip it down to search for curses. Lyra gasped.

"Harry. I'm sorry! I'm just worried! Harry…!" Hermione pleaded as they finished the trip back to the common room.

"You couldn't leave it? Just for once Hermione?" Ron said angrily to her.

"I just…" she started to say.

"Forget it Hermione. They're boys…they're not going to listen to reason right now."

Hermione turned to her friend, tearful.

"You're…you're not mad at me?"

"I am a bit," Lyra admitted, but continued quickly, "but I also know, and I'm sure Harry does too, that you only had his best interests at heart. They'll get over it eventually. Don't worry about it too much. Besides, if you ignore them, then they'll come running back to you apologizing all the sooner…after all, who else is going to help them on homework?"

Hermione allowed a small giggle to escape, and the two girls made their way up to the dormitory.

A week later, Lyra was sitting in the stands watching a Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw when something suddenly caught her attention. There, on the field, coming towards them, were three dementors. Immediately, she looked to Harry, nervous for her friend. But he seemed to be taking it fine. He had whipped out his wand, and a huge, silver stag burst from the end of it, and galloped towards the three dementors. A second later, he caught the Golden Snitch.

"Yes!" she shouted. She then looked back down, and clapped her hand over her mouth to stop herself from bursting out in laughter. The three dementors weren't, well, real dementors. It was Marcus Flint, (the Slytherin Quidditch Captain,) Crabbe, Goyle, and her brother, all dressed in black cloaks, which they were now trying to disentangle themselves from. Apparently, they had paired up, and stood on each other's shoulders, trying to give Harry a scare. Unfortunately, they didn't obviously didn't count on him being prepared. The look on Draco's face was good enough, but the look on Professor McGonagall's face was even better. She was livid!

"An unworthy trick!" she was shouting. "A low and cowardly attempt to sabotage the Gryffindor Seeker! Detention for all of you, and fifty points from Slytherin! I shall be speaking to Professor Dumbledore about this, make no mistake!"

"Great job, Harry!" she said, finally reaching her friend. As she passed her brother, she gave him a quick smirk, before heading back to the Gryffindor Common Room with the rest of her house.

When she got there, the party was already in full swing…but one person wasn't very happy at all. Hermione.

"Hey," she said softly, and the bushy haired girl looked up.

"Hi," she replied.

"Aren't you going to join us?" Lyra asked.

"No. I have to read this by Monday. And besides…he doesn't want me to." She said, pointing at Ron, (who had accused her a few days ago of her cat, Crookshanks, eating Scabbers…again. Lyra was getting sick and tired of it, truth be told).

"Hermione…" Lyra tried again, but the other girl just shook her head sadly, and went up to their dormitory to finish her reading.

Later that night, Lyra awoke to the sound of screaming, and the noise of many people gathering in the common room. Mumbling something incoherent, she pulled on her robe, and went downstairs to see what all the commotion was about. When she heard, she gasped out loud.

Apparently, Sirius Black had broken into the boys' dormitory, and slashed Ron's curtains with a knife.

By that point, their head of house had arrived, and was interrogating Sir Cadogen's picture. When he said that he had let the mass murder enter because he had the passwords, she was furious. Unfortunately, her anger was then directed towards Neville Longbottom, who had a terrible memory, and thus had written them down. Though she felt bad for her friend, she had one question...why had Black gone for Ron's bed instead of Harry's?

_**Sorry for the long wait. **_

**_Quotes (a.k.a anything you recognize!) are from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. _**

_**Thanks to all who are reading, and liking it. If you have any suggestions, questions, or comments, please feel free to review/private message me. Also, if you have any ideas at all, or would like to see something happen, let me know, and I'll consider putting them into a chapter. Thanks! ~ Leanora**_


	21. Buckbeak's Execution

**_I unfortunately do not own the world of Harry Potter. That honor belongs to J. K. Rowling._**

**_I would just like to say a quick thanks to spannieren, xxbabyxox, Allen Pitt, Princess-Lazy-Chan, Singerinthesilence, Celeste Belle, Ruby Red Grapefruit, silentloud13, magsdalena, SisterOfAnElvenWannabe, Macey247, Beautiful-Phoenix75, vnienhuis, and Daddys Little Demon._**

**_This is my second fan-fic. Hope you like it! (And if you haven't figured out by now, reviews are appreciated!)_**

**_I am writing 5 other fan-fics at this time as well. If you could please check out my profile and check them out, I would greatly appreciate that. Thanks! :)_**

**_Okay, so by now, you all know that Lyra is a Malfoy. Just remember that even though you know, the characters don't._**

**Chapter 21:**

**Buckbeak's Execution**

For the rest of the evening, and all of the following day, the members of Gryffindor house were very cautious. Two days after the incident with Black, Hermione stopped her, Harry, and Ron outside of the common room, and Lyra immediately knew that something was wrong. Her lip was trembling, and she looked very distraught.

"I just thought you ought to know… Hagrid lost his case. Buckbeak is going to be executed." she said.

Though Lyra hadn't been asked to help with his case, she still felt as if it were her fault. Lyra gasped upon hearing her friend's bad news, before racing off in the opposite direction to find at her brother.

She found him a few minutes later, and luckily for her, he was alone. (Though why she didn't know...it _was_rather odd, but she wasn't about to ponder this fact." She pulled her twin into a nearby classroom, and put a silencing spell on the room. (Narcissa had taught it to her, specifically for situations like this.)

"How could you?" she screamed.

"What?" Draco responded, totally confused.

"Because of you, Buckbeak is going to die!" Lyra continued, her voice still rising.

Comprehension dawned, and Draco started laughing.

"You – You're upset be – because that chicken is go – going to be killed?" he said, stumbling through his laughter, which only infuriated his sister even more.

"He's completely innocent!" she shouted.

"Lyra, calm down! He deserves it!" Draco said, his laughter starting to subside.

"It's your fault," Lyra said, her voice lowering slightly. "Can't you convince Father to call it off?"

"Why would I do that?"

"Because Buckbeak doesn't deserve to die." She said, her voice smaller.

"No." her brother said simply. "Besides, this isn't _just _about that hippogriff hurting me, it has something to do with politics, or something of that sort."

"Stupid politics" Lyra grumbled, sitting down, arms crossed. Draco chuckled, earning him a glare from his twin. He leaned against the desk, arms also crossed, but much more relaxed.

"You know, you could just talk to him. Probably won't work, but you could try."

"Yeah, because that'll go over really well." Lyra responded sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"Forget it. I'll figure it out on my own." She muttered. Draco shrugged, and put a hand on his sister's shoulder, which she shrugged off immediately. He looked slightly taken aback.

"I'll see you later, 'K?" he said quietly.

"Yeah, okay, whatever," she responded, still mad, waving him off. He left, and she followed suit a few minutes later.

* * *

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Lyra were making their way down to Hagrid's hut, to both comfort him, and to see Buckbeak once more.

They saw Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle on their way down, and as usual, Draco was talking loud enough for them to hear, (purposely, of course,).

"Have you ever seen anything quite as pathetic?" said Malfoy. "And he's supposed to be our teacher!"

Harry and Ron both made furious moves toward Malfoy, Lyra right behind them, but Hermione got there first — SMACK!

She had slapped Malfoy across the face with all the strength she could muster. Malfoy staggered. Harry, Ron, Crabbe, and Goyle stood flabbergasted as Hermione raised her hand again. Lyra was just as shocked, but was also currently trying to suppress the laughter that shook her body; his expression…well, she hadn't seen that expression since she got into Gryffindor! Inside, she was cheering as well: her brother had finally gotten what he deserved, and it wasn't even her doing!

"Don't you dare call Hagrid pathetic, you foul — you evil —"

"Hermione!" said Ron weakly, and he tried to grab her hand as she swung it back.

"Get off, Ron!"

Hermione pulled out her wand. Malfoy stepped backward, staggering. Crabbe and Goyle looked at him for instructions, thoroughly bewildered.

"C'mon." Malfoy muttered, and in a moment, all three of them had disappeared into the castle, their footsteps could be heard pounding hard on the stone floor of their school.

Harry and Ron were still staring, thunderstruck at Hermione.

"Hermione!" Ron said again, sounding both stunned and impressed.

"Harry, you'd better beat him in the Quidditch final!" Hermione said shrilly, turning to face them. "You just better had, because I can't stand it if Slytherin wins!" Lyra grinned broadly.

"Agreed. Great punch, by the way. Couldn't have done a better one myself." She said, complementing the girl, who turned became flustered, and stormed silently, and determinedly down the rest of the way to Hagrid's hut.

Unfortunately, about five minutes after arriving, Harry turned, and saw that Lucius Malfoy, Albus Dumbledore, and Walden Macnair coming down the hill for the excitation. Hagrid hurried them out of the back, but Lyra stopped, and turned around.

"No, Hagrid. Let me stay. I'll try and convince Mr. Malfoy not to continue the execution."

"No, now get out o' here!"

"Please, Hagrid!" Lyra pleaded, but Hagrid wouldn't hear of it, and pushed her out after her classmates. Grumbling, the girl snuck out to where her friends where hiding. When the adults were inside, the four Gryffindor students made their way up the hill, where they stood, and waited for the end they knew was to come. And unfortunately, less than a minute later, they heard the ax go down, crows flying into the air, disturbed and startled. Hermione turned into Ron, crying silently, and Lyra herself had mixed feelings – she was upset, and angry…never a good combination. Today had been a long, unwanted day. And unfortunately it was about to get a whole lot worse.

**Sorry for the long wait. **

**_Anything you recognize is from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. _**

**_Thanks to all who are reading, and liking it. If you have any suggestions, questions, or comments, please feel free to review/private message me. Also, if you have any ideas at all, or would like to see something happen, let me know, and I'll consider putting them into a chapter. Thanks! ~ Leanora_**


	22. Meeting Cousin Sirius

_**I unfortunately do not own the world of Harry Potter. That honor belongs to J. K. Rowling.**_

_**I would just like to say a quick thanks to Princess-Lazy-Chan, Allen Pitt, Carebear114, Singerinthesilence, **__**Jokegirl**__**, Celeste Bell, **__**spannieren**__**, sickandtired15, **__**XxBlood**__**-Red-**__**AnglexX**__**, carlyrb6, and **__**FashionStarlet**__**.**_

_**This is my second fan-fic. Hope you like it! (And if you haven't figured out by now, reviews are appreciated!)**_

_**I am writing 5 other fan-**__**fics**__** at this time as well. If you could please check out my profile and check them out, I would greatly appreciate that. Thanks! :)**_

_**Okay, so by now, you all know that Lyra is a **__**Malfoy**__**. Just remember that even though you know, the characters don't.**_

**Chapter 22:**

**Meeting Cousin Sirius**

Harry, Hermione, and Lyra ran after Ron, but stopped suddenly when they recognized that the rat was running straight towards the Whomping Willow.

"Ron! Ron, stop!" Lyra cried, but to no anvil. He tripped on a root that was sticking up from the ground, and fell, and Lyra saw him wince in pain. Suddenly, a big black dog came out of nowhere. It grabbed onto Ron's ankle, and before anyone could do anything, pulled him...under the Whomping Willow. The three friends rushed forward, but had to skid to a halt a moment later, because the great tree's branches were wildly moving about, and if they moved any closer, they would be hit with them. Then, the tree's branches stopped moving.

Crookshanks had slithered between the battering branches like a snake and placed his front paws upon a knot on the trunk.

"Crookshanks!" Hermione whispered uncertainly. "How did he know —?"

"He's friends with that dog," said Harry grimly. "I've seen them together. Come on — and keep your wand out —" Lyra quickly took out her wand, wincing as the movement stretched some newly received scars, and followed her friends into the hole in the Willow, crawling on all fours in order to get through it. Once through, she could stand up a bit, but still had to remain bent in order to move through the dark tunnel.

Finally, they were at a place where they could stand. Three took a moment to catch their breaths, before continuing, wands out and ready, before entering a very disordered, dusty room. Paper was peeling from the walls; there were stains all over the floor; every piece of furniture was broken as though somebody had smashed it. The windows were all boarded up. As Lyra glanced around, she suddenly realized where they were.

"Harry, Hermione" she whispered, "I think we're in the Shrieking Shack."

At that moment, there was a creak overhead. Something had moved upstairs. All of them looked up at the ceiling, before sharing a look, and climbing the stairs cautiously. At the top of the landing, there was a door. Harry kicked it open, and the three saw that on a magnificent four-poster bed with dusty hangings lay Crookshanks, purring loudly at the sight of them. On the floor beside him, clutching his leg, which stuck out at a strange angle, was Ron.

Harry and Hermione dashed across to him. But Lyra stayed behind. Something wasn't right. She dimly registered what her injured friend was saying as she peered around, before her eyes locked on someone, and she gasped loudly, her hand clenching hard around her wand. Her friends looked up at her.

"Lyra? What's wrong?" Harry asked.

"That was no dog, Harry. It was Sirius Black." she said, very frightened, but a calm, cold look that her father would be proud of on her face. She pointed as she said these words to a man who was coming out of the shadows.

A mass of filthy, matted hair hung to his elbows. If eyes hadn't been shining out of the deep, dark sockets, he might have been a corpse. The waxy skin was stretched so tightly over the bones of his face, it looked like a skull. His yellow teeth were bared in a grin.

"Expelliarmus!" he croaked, pointing Ron's wand at them.

Harry's, Hermione's, and Lyra's wands shot out of their hands, high in the air, and Black caught them. Then he took a step closer. His eyes were fixed on Harry.

"I thought you'd come and help your friend," he said hoarsely.

His voice sounded as though he had long since lost the habit of using it. "Your father would have done the same for me. Brave of you not to run for a teacher. I'm grateful… it will make everything much easier…"

As the man continued to taunt Harry, Lyra suddenly realized something. This...this murder, this poor excuse for a man, the person who was trying to kill her friend...was related to her. Narcissa's maiden name was Black, making the man standing before her her (second?) cousin. Lyra shuddered at the thought. But when she thought about it, her father wasn't that much better. Sirius Black certainly wasn't better than her aunt that was still in Azkaban, (for which Lyra was very grateful for. She _never_wanted to meet Bellatrix.) She just hoped that Black wouldn't make the connection, and realize that she was a Malfoy.

"HE KILLED MY MUM AND DAD!" Harry roared, bringing Lyra out of her thoughts, where she stared in shock and horror as Harry lunged forward. He punched Black, they both landed on the ground. Hermione came and kicked the man in order to free her friend. Ron and Lyra (finally able to move) joined the fight. After a few moments of scrambling, Harry's voice came over the noise of the fight.

"Get out of the way!" he shouted. Lyra helped Ron to the bed, before turning to face the scene before her.

Black was sprawled at the bottom of the wall. His thin chest rose and fell rapidly as he watched Harry walking slowly nearer, his wand pointing straight at Black's heart.

"Going to kill me, Harry?" he whispered.

Harry stopped right above him, his wand still pointing at Black's chest, looking down at him. A livid bruise was rising around Black's left eye and his nose was bleeding.

"You killed my parents," said Harry, his voice shaking slightly, but his wand hand quite steady.

Black stared up at him out of those sunken eyes.

"I don't deny it," he said very quietly. "But if you knew the whole story."

"The whole story?" Harry repeated. "You sold them to Voldemort. That's all I need to know."

"You've got to listen to me," Black said, and there was a note of urgency in his voice now. "You'll regret it if you don't… You don't understand…"

"I understand a lot better than you think," said Harry, and his voice shook more than ever. "You never heard her, did you? My mum… trying to stop Voldemort killing me… and you did that… you did it…"

Before either of them could say another word, something ginger streaked past Harry; Crookshanks leapt onto Black's chest and settled himself there, right over Black's heart. Black blinked and looked down at the cat.

"Get off," he murmured, trying to push Crookshanks off him.

But Crookshanks sank his claws into Black's robes and wouldn't shift. He turned his ugly, squashed face to Harry and looked up at him with those great yellow eyes.

Harry stared down at Black and Crookshanks, and Lyra saw his grip tightening on the wand.

"Harry, please. I know you don't want to, but just give him a chance to explain. Please?" Lyra said quietly. The other four looked at her, surprised and shocked. Lyra was also surprised to see so much hatred and anger in Harry's eyes. She had never seen him like this..._ever_. For some reason, she couldn't let him kill her cousin...not yet at least. For some reason, she had this gut feeling that he wasn't who everyone said he was. Black's eyes widened as he took in the sight of this girl. He couldn't place it, but she had distinct features that he recognized from somewhere.

Suddenly, footsteps were heard on the stairs, and the door burst open moments later to reveal Professor Lupin.

"Expelliarmus!" Lupin shouted.

"Where is he, Sirius?" Lyra gaped. She had no idea what he was talking about, but she did know that something wasn't right. Still...for Lupin to be in on the same plan as Black? It was a bit much. And yet, on the outside, she still maintained a cool, composed look, just like she had been taught.

Black's face was quite expressionless. For a few seconds, he didn't move at all. Then, very slowly, he raised his empty hand and pointed straight at Ron. Mystified, Harry glanced around at Ron, who looked bewildered.

"But then…" Lupin muttered, staring at Black so intently it seemed he was trying to read his mind, "… why hasn't he shown himself before now? Unless" — Lupin's eyes suddenly widened, as though he was seeing something beyond Black, something none of the rest could see, "— unless he was the one… unless you switched… without telling me?"

Very slowly, his sunken gaze never leaving Lupin's face, Black nodded.

"Professor," Harry interrupted loudly, "what's going on —?"

But he never finished the question, because what he saw made his voice die in his throat. Lupin was lowering his wand, gazing fixed at Black. The Professor walked to Black's side, seized his hand, pulled him to his feet so that Crookshanks fell to the floor, and embraced Black like a brother. _What?_ Lyra thought in disbelief. She looked, bewildered, at her friends.

"I DON'T BELIEVE IT!" Hermione screamed.

Lupin let go of Black and turned to her. She had raised herself off the floor and was pointing at Lupin, wild-eyed. "You — you —"

"Hermione —"

"– you and him!"

"Hermione, calm down —"

"I didn't tell anyone!" Hermione shrieked. "I've been covering up for you —"

"Hermione, listen to me, please" Lupin shouted. "I can explain —"

"I trusted you," Harry shouted at Lupin, his voice wavering, out of control, "and all the time you've been his friend!"

"You're wrong," said Lupin. "I haven't been Sirius's friend, but I am now — Let me explain…"

"NO!" Hermione screamed. "Harry, don't trust him, he's been helping Black get into the castle, he wants you dead too — he's a werewolf!" There was silence in the room. Eyes widened, but for some reason, this news didn't shock Lyra. When she thought about all that had occurred throughout the year, she couldn't say that she was surprised, though it looked as if the two boys were, judging by their reactions. And again, there was that sill persistent voice that told her something wasn't right. Not yet, at least.

"Not at all up to your usual standard, Hermione," he said. "Only one out of three, I'm afraid. I have not been helping Sirius get into the castle and I certainly don't want Harry dead." An odd shiver passed over his face. "But I won't deny that I am a werewolf."

Ron made a valiant effort to get up again but fell back with a whimper of pain. Lupin made toward him, looking concerned, but Ron gasped, "Get away from me, werewolf!"

"Ron!" Lyra said, shocked that her friend would say something like that...and yet, was she? She knew firsthand what was taught in a pureblood home, and while she was sure that the Weasley had never taught their children to be prejudiced, she couldn't help that Ron still, for the moment at least, was. Lyra was once more brought out of her thoughts by Harry's raised voice.

AND HE WAS WRONG!" he yelled. "YOU'VE BEEN HELPING HIM ALL THE TIME!"

He was pointing at Black, who suddenly crossed to the four-poster bed and sank onto it, his face hidden in one shaking hand. Crookshanks leapt up beside him and stepped onto his lap, purring. Ron edged away from both of them, dragging his leg.

"I have not been helping Sirius," said Lupin. "If you'll give me a chance, I'll explain. Look —"

He separated Harry's, Ron's, Hermione's, and Lyra's wands and threw each back to its owner.

"There," said Lupin, sticking his own wand back into his belt "You're armed, we're not. Now will you listen?"

"If you haven't been helping him," he said, with a furious glance at Black, "how did you know he was here?"

"The map," said Lupin. "The Marauder's Map. I was in my office examining it —"

"You know how to work it?" Harry said suspiciously.

"Of course I know how to work it," said Lupin, waving his hand impatiently. "I helped write it. I'm Moony — that was my friends' nickname for me at school." And suddenly, something clicked in Lyra's mind.

"Harry, it was Wormtail." she said quietly, causing everyone to look at her, and stare.

"Ho - How do you know?" Black asked quietly, the same time that Harry said,

"What are you talking about?"

"Wormtail was a wizard animagus by the name of Peter Pettigrew. He faked his own death, and transformed into a rat. For the past twelve years, he's been hiding in rat form, pretending to be Scabbers. Black never killed anyone. He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"You're mental." Ron said, but his voice sounded strangled. Lyra _never_ lied, and she seemed to know what she was talking about. Lupin and Black were staring at her in disbelief, as was Harry.

"But Lyra… Scabbers can't be Pettigrew… it just can't be true, you know it can't…"

"Why can't it be true? Because what Lyra said _is_ correct." Lupin said calmly, interrupting before Lyra could respond.

"Because… because people would know if Peter Pettigrew had been an Animagus. We did Animagi in class with Professor McGonagall. And I looked them up when I did my homework — the Ministry of Magic keeps tabs on witches and wizards who can become animals; there's a register showing what animal they become, and their markings and things… and I went and looked Professor McGonagall up on the register, and there have been only seven Animagi this century, and Pettigrew's name wasn't on the list."

"Right again, Hermione!" he said. "But the Ministry never knew that here used to be three unregistered Animagi running around Hogwarts."

"If you're going to tell them the story, get a move on, Remus," said Black, who was still watching Scabbers's every desperate move. "I've waited twelve years, I'm not going to wait much longer."

"All right… but you'll need to help me, Sirius," said Lupin, "I only know how it began…"

Lupin broke off. There had been a loud creak behind him. The bedroom door had opened of its own accord. All five of them stared at it. Then Lupin strode toward it and looked out into the landing.

"No one there…"

"This place is haunted!" said Ron.

"No it isn't, Ron. If I am correct, those noises were made by Professor Lupin during his monthly transformations." The defense teacher just stared at his student, before responding.

"Correct again."

He then pushed his graying hair out of his eyes, thought for a moment then said, "That's where all of this starts — with my becoming a werewolf. None of this could have happened if I hadn't been bitten… and if I hadn't been so foolhardy…"

He looked sober and tired. Ron started to interrupt, but Hermione, said, "Shh!" She was watching Lupin very intently.

"I was a very small boy when I received the bite. My parents tried everything, but in those days there was no cure. The potion that Professor Snape has been making for me is a very recent discovery. It makes me safe, you see. As long as I take it in the week, preceding the full moon, I keep my mind when I transform… I'm able to curl up in my office, a harmless wolf, and wait for the moon to wane again.

"Before the Wolfsbane Potion was discovered, however, I became a fully fledged monster once a month. It seemed impossible that I would be able to come to Hogwarts. Other parents weren't likely to want their children exposed to me.

But then Dumbledore became Headmaster, and he was sympathetic. He said that as long as we took certain precautions, there was no reason I shouldn't come to school…" Lupin sighed, and looked directly at Harry. "I told you, months ago, that the Whomping Willow was planted the year I came to Hogwarts. The truth is that it was planted because I came to Hogwarts. This house" — Lupin looked miserably around the room, — "the tunnel that leads to it — they were built for my use. Once a month, I was smuggled out of the castle, into this place, to transform. The tree was placed at the tunnel mouth to stop anyone coming across me while I was dangerous."

Lyra could see now where this story was going, but she could see that Harry, the one who Lupin was telling the story for in the first place, couldn't. And she found herself feeling sorry for her professor.

She wondered what would happen if Draco knew the truth…but for him to know would be disastrous, that was for sure. He would tell their father, and then Lucius would get on Lupin's case. Draco was also more likely to be more prejudiced then his sister, and would look down on their fantastic professor even more then he already did. What bothered her is the fact that he looked down upon everyone else, as they were taught to, and yet, he didn't look down upon his sister. Yet, she was in Gryffindor, close friends with his "enemies", and against everything he was for. If he could accept her, then why couldn't he accept others?

Lyra was brought out of her thoughts, this time, not by Harry's voice, but by Severus Snape's cold, sneering voice, saying,

"That's right," from the wall behind Lupin, where he was pulling off the Invisibility Cloak, his wand pointing directly at Lupin.

"I found this at the base of the Whomping Willow," said the Potions Master, throwing the cloak aside, careful to keep this wand pointing directly at Lupin's chest.

"Very useful, Potter, I thank you…" Lyra glared at him. He couldn't let the past go, could he? Just once?

Snape was slightly breathless, but his face was full of suppressed triumph. "You're wondering, perhaps, how I knew you were here?" he said, his eyes glittering. "I've just been to your office, Lupin. You forgot to take your potion tonight, so I took a gobletful along.

And very lucky I did… lucky for me, I mean. Lying on your desk was a certain map. One glance at it told me all I needed to know. I saw you running along this passageway and out of sight."

"Severus —" Lupin began, but Snape overrode him.

"I've told the headmaster again and again that you're helping your old friend Black into the castle, Lupin, and here's the proof. Not even I dreamed you would have the nerve to use this old place as your hideout —"

"Severus, you're making a mistake," said Lupin urgently. "You haven't heard everything — I can explain — Sirius is not here to kill Harry —"

"Professor, please!" Lyra cried. This got his attention, and his eyes widened momentarily as he took in the sight of the young Malfoy girl, caught up in this mess with his old rivals.

"Lyra, what are you doing here?" he asked the third year girl quietly.

"Aiding my friends, and making sure the truth is revealed. And making sure _nothing_ gets in the way of that happening." she said, giving her Professor a pointed glare.

His eyes became hard and cold again, but he clearly understood her, for her point was clearly made. But that didn't mean he was going to listen to her. Because the next minute, he had bound Lupin with ropes from he had conjured, and had his wand between Black's eyes, and was beyond listening to reason. There was a mad glint in Snape's eyes that Lyra had never seen before which proved it. He tried to lead them all out the door, but Harry blocked it. Snape threatened Harry, and because of it, four voices shouted the Disarming Spell at once, the force of it knocking the Head of Slytherin out cold.

Lupin was struggling against his bonds. Black bent down quickly and untied him. Lupin straightened up, rubbing his arms where the ropes had cut into them.

"Thank you, Harry," he said.

"I'm still not saying I believe you," he told Lupin.

"Then it's time we offered you some proof," said Lupin. "You, boy — give me Peter, please. Now."

Ron clutched Scabbers closer to his chest.

"Come off it," he said weakly. "Are you trying to say he broke out of Azkaban just to get his hands on Scabbers? I mean…" He looked up at Harry and Hermione for support, "Okay, say Pettigrew could turn into a rat — there are millions of rats — how's he supposed to know which one he is after if he was locked up in Azkaban?"

Lyra just stared at her friend. It was just so rare that he came to his senses, and said something smart like this that it kind of came as a surprise when he did.

"You know, Sirius, that's a fair question," said Lupin, turning to Black and frowning slightly.

"How did you find out where he was?"

Black put one of his claw-like hands inside his robes and took out a crumpled piece of paper, which he smoothed flat and held out to show the others.

It was the photograph of Ron and his family that had appeared in the Daily Prophet the previous summer, and there, on Ron's shoulder, was Scabbers.

"How did you get this?" Lupin asked Black, thunderstruck.

"Fudge," said Black. "When he came to inspect Azkaban last year, he gave me his paper. And there was Peter, on the front page on this boy's shoulder… I knew him at once… how many times had I seen him transform? And the caption said the boy would be going back to Hogwarts… to where Harry was…"

"My God," said Lupin softly, staring from Scabbers to the picture in the paper and back again. "His front paw…"

"What about it?" said Ron defiantly.

"He's got a toe missing," said Black.

"Of course," Lupin breathed. "So simple… so brilliant… he cut it off himself?"

"Just before he transformed," said Black. "When I cornered him, he yelled for the whole street to hear that I'd betrayed Lily and James. Then, before I could curse him, he blew apart the street with the wand behind his back, killed everyone within twenty feet of himself — and sped down into the sewer with the other rats…"

"Didn't you ever hear, Ron?" said Lupin. "The biggest bit of Peter they found was his finger."

"Look, Scabbers probably had a fight with another rat or something! He's been in my family for ages, right —"

"Twelve years, in fact," said Lupin. "Didn't you ever wonder why he was living so long?"

"We — we've been taking good care of him!" said Ron.

"Not looking too good at the moment, though, is he?" said Lupin. "I'd guess he's been losing weight ever since he heard Sirius was on the loose again…"

"He's been scared of that mad cat!" said Ron, nodding toward Crookshanks, who was still purring on the bed.

But that wasn't right, Harry thought suddenly… Scabbers had been looking ill before he met Crookshanks… ever since Ron's return from Egypt… since the time when Black had escaped…

"This cat isn't mad," said Black hoarsely. He reached out a bony hand and stroked Crookshanks's fluffy head. "He's the most intelligent of his kind I've ever met. He recognized Peter for what he was right away. And when he met me, he knew I was no dog. It was a while before he trusted me… Finally, I managed to communicate to him what I was after, and he's been helping me…"

"What do you mean?" breathed Hermione.

"He tried to bring Peter to me, but couldn't… so he stole the passwords into Gryffindor Tower for me… As I understand it, he took them from a boy's bedside table…" _Neville!_ Lyra thought briefly, now clearly seeing all the pieces of the puzzle being put into place.

"But Peter got wind of what was going on and ran for it." croaked Black. "This cat — Crookshanks, did you call him? — told me Peter had left blood on the sheets… I supposed he bit himself… Well, faking his own death had worked once."

"Harry," said Lupin hurriedly, "don't you see? All this time we've thought Sirius betrayed your parents, and Peter tracked him down — but it was the other way around, don't you see? Peter betrayed your mother and father — Sirius tracked Peter down —"

"THAT'S NOT TRUE!" Harry yelled. "HE WAS THEIR SECRET-KEEPER! HE SAID SO BEFORE YOU TURNED UP. HE SAID HE KILLED THEM!"

He was pointing at Black, who shook his head slowly; the sunken eyes were suddenly over bright.

"Harry… I as good as killed them," he croaked. "I persuaded Lily and James to change to Peter at the last moment, persuaded them to use him as Secret-Keeper instead of me…

I'm to blame, I know it… The night they died, I'd arranged to check on Peter, make sure he was still safe, but when I arrived at his hiding place, he'd gone. Yet there was no sign of a struggle. It didn't feel right. I was scared. I set out for your parents' house straight away. And when I saw their house, destroyed, and their bodies… I realized what Peter must've done… what I'd done…"

His voice broke. He turned away.

"Enough of this," said Lupin, and there was a steely note in his voice Harry had never heard before.

Lyra now thought long and hard, and realized she was glad to have stopped Harry from killing Sirius, even though she knew deep down he wouldn't have done so anyway. She also realized that she was extremely glad to have met her cousin, even if he didn't realize his relation to her. Because he wasn't the person everyone had believed him to be. He was the person her mother had described to her once or twice…to prove to her that she wasn't the only one in their family like her. She smiled. Maybe they weren't so different after all. And Lyra was very grateful for that.

Lyra was brought out of her own private thoughts for a fourth time that evening, this time by a loud CRACK!, signifying that Scabbers had been forced to reveal his human form, and Lyra was correct, because there, in front of them, on the ground, was Peter Pettigrew.

**Sorry for the long wait. Hope this long chapter makes up for it!**

_**Anything you recognize is from **__**Harry Potter and the Prisoner of **__**Azkaban**__**. **_

_**Thanks to all who are reading, and liking it. If you have any suggestions, questions, or comments, please feel free to review/private message me. Also, if you have any ideas at all, or would like to see something happen, let me know, and I'll consider putting them into a chapter. Thanks! ~ Leanora**_


	23. Betrayal

_**I unfortunately do not own the world of Harry Potter. That honor belongs to J. K. Rowling.**_

_**I would just like to say a quick thanks to Celeste Belle, Beautiful-Phoenix75, Dolpheen, Witchgirl590, FashionStarlet, spannieren, Allen Pitt, lovemalfoy9309, scripsisomnia, SlytherinBabe97, Singer in the Silence, Princess-Lazy-Chan, Twilightluver919-Padme'nAnakin, Spontaneous. Combustion99, Mi'era Az'ule, Jokegirl, and SandraSmit19.  
**_

_**This is my second fan-fic. Hope you like it! (And if you haven't figured out by now, reviews are appreciated!)**_

_**I am writing 5 other fan-**__**fics**__** at this time as well. If you could please check out my profile and check them out, I would greatly appreciate that. Thanks! :)**_

_**Okay, so by now, you all know that Lyra is a **__**Malfoy**__**. Just remember that even though you know, the characters don't.**_

**Chapter 23:**

**Betrayal**

"Well, hello, Peter," said Lupin pleasantly, as though rats frequently erupted into old school friends around him.

"Long time, no see."

"S—Sirius… R—Remus…" Even Pettigrew's voice was squeaky, like the rat he was. His eyes darted toward the door, as if he were planning his escape. "My friends… my old friends…"

Lyra snorted, Black's wand arm rose, but Lupin seized him around the wrist, gave him a warning took, then turned again to Pettigrew, his voice light and casual.

"We've been having a little chat, Peter, about what happened the night Lily and James died. You might have missed the finer points while you were squeaking around down there on the bed —"

"Remus," gasped Pettigrew, and Lyra could see beads of sweat breaking out over his pasty face, "you don't believe him, do you…? He tried to kill me, Remus…"

"So we've heard," said Lupin, more coldly. "I'd like to clear up one or two little matters with you, Peter, if you'll be so —"

"He's come to try and kill me again!" Pettigrew squeaked suddenly, pointing at Black, and Harry saw that he used his middle finger, because his index was missing. "He killed Lily and James and now he's going to kill me too… You've got to help me, Remus…"

Black's face looked more skull-like than ever as he stared at Pettigrew with his fathomless eyes.

"No one's going to try and kill you until we've sorted a few things out," said Lupin.

"Sorted things out?" squealed Pettigrew, looking wildly about him once more, eyes taking in the boarded windows and, again, the only door. "I knew he'd come after me! I knew he'd be back for me! I've been waiting for this for twelve years!"

"You knew Sirius was going to break out of Azkaban?" said Lupin, his brow furrowed. "When nobody has ever done it before?"

"He's got dark powers the rest of us can only dream of!" Pettigrew shouted shrilly. "How else did he get out of there? I suppose He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named taught him a few tricks!"

"As if Sirius would ever join Voldemort. Unlike _you_!" Lyra said, standing up for her cousin.

"What, scared to hear your old master's name?" said Black. "I don't blame you, Peter. His lot aren't very happy with you, are they?"

"Don't know what you mean, Sirius —" muttered Pettigrew, his breathing faster than ever. His whole face was shining with sweat now.

"You haven't been hiding from me for twelve years," said Black coldly. "You've been hiding from Voldemort's old supporters. I heard things in Azkaban, Peter… They all think you're dead, or you'd have to answer to them… I've heard them screaming all sorts of things in their sleep. Sounds like they think the double-crosser double-crossed them. Voldemort went to the Potters' on your information… and Voldemort met his downfall there. And not all Voldemort's supporters ended up in Azkaban, did they? There are still plenty out here, biding their time, pretending they've seen the error of their ways. If they ever got wind that you were still alive, Peter —"

"Don't know… what you're talking about…" said Pettigrew again, more shrilly than ever. He wiped his face on his sleeve and looked up at Lupin. "You don't believe this — this madness, Remus —"

"I must admit, Peter, I have difficulty in understanding why an innocent man would want to spend twelve years as a rat," said Lupin evenly.

"Innocent, but scared!" squealed Pettigrew. "If Voldemort's supporters were after me, it was because I put one of their best men in Azkaban — the spy, Sirius Black!"

Black's face contorted, but Lyra got there first, outraged.

"Black, a spy? You're out of your _mind_, Pettigrew! Do you know the things I've heard about him through my family? They say he was one of the biggest blood traitors in the family of Black! But he was also one of the most loyal members of the family to those he chose to be. He would rather _die_then betray his friends. They say your patronus and animagi forms portay your personality. He is a dog, a man's best friend and protector. But you...you are a rat...a low, dirty, ungrateful little rat. And because of you, many lives have been destroyed and changed. Because you decided to be a coward, and turn spy against the people who trusted you the most. I hope your happy." Lyra said, finishing her rant, before sitting down, arms crossed on the edge of the bed. Everyone just stared at her.

Pettigrew wiped his face again; he was almost panting for breath.

"Me, a spy… must be out of your mind… never… don't know how you can say such a — you don't even know me girl —"

"Lily and James only made you Secret-Keeper because I suggested it," Black hissed, so venomously that Pettigrew took a step backward. "I thought it was the perfect plan… a bluff… Voldemort would be sure to come after me, would never dream they'd use a weak, talentless thing like you… It must have been the finest moment of your miserable life, telling Voldemort you could hand him the Potters**."**

As Black was speaking, Lyra noticed that Pettigrew's eyes kept darting nervoulsy back and forth between the window, the door, and Sirius Black.

"Professor Lupin?" said Hermione timidly. "Can — can I say something?"

"Certainly, Hermione," said Lupin courteously.

"Well — Scabbers — I mean, this — this man — he's been sleeping in Harry's dormitory for three years. If he's working for You-Know-Who, how come he never tried to hurt Harry before now?"

"There!" said Pettigrew shrilly, pointing at Ron with his maimed hand. "Thank you! You see, Remus? I have never hurt a hair of Harry's head! Why should I?"

"I'll tell you why," said Black. "Because you never did anything for anyone unless you could see what was in it for you. Voldemort's been in hiding for fifteen years, they say he's half dead. You weren't about to commit murder right under Albus Dumbledore's nose, for a wreck of a wizard who'd lost all of his power, were you? You'd want to be quite sure he was the biggest bully in the playground before you went back to him, wouldn't you? Why else did you find a wizard family to take you in? Keeping an ear out for news, weren't you, Peter? Just in case your old protector regained strength, and it was safe to rejoin him…"

Pettigrew opened his mouth and closed it several times. He seemed to have lost the ability to talk.

"Er — Mr. Black — Sirius?" said Hermione.

Black jumped at being addressed like this and stared at Hermione as though he had never seen anything quite like her.

"If you don't mind me asking, how — how did you get out of Azkaban, if you didn't use Dark Magic?"

"Thank you!" gasped Pettigrew, nodding frantically at her. "Exactly! Precisely what I —"

But Lupin silenced him with a look. Black was frowning slightly at Hermione, but not as though he were annoyed with her. He seemed to be pondering his answer. In her head, Lyra answered her friend's question..._he's an animagus...he transformed into a dog, _but didn't voice this outloud, because she wanted to hear her cousin's full anwer.

"I don't know how I did it," he said slowly. "I think the only reason I never lost my mind is that I knew I was innocent. That wasn't a happy thought, so the Dementors couldn't suck it out of me… but it kept me sane and knowing who I am… helped me keep my powers… so when it all became… too much… I could transform in my cell… become a dog. Dementors can't see, you know…" He swallowed. "They feel their way toward people by feeding off their emotions… They could tell that my feelings were less — less human, less complex when I was a dog… but they thought, of course, that I was losing my mind like everyone else in there, so it didn't trouble them. But I was weak, very weak, and I had no hope of driving them away from me without a wand…

But then I saw Peter in that picture… I realized he was at Hogwarts with Harry… perfectly positioned to act, if one hint reached his ears that the Dark Side was gathering strength again…"

Pettigrew was shaking his head, mouthing noiselessly, but staring all the while at Black as though hypnotized.

"… ready to strike at the moment he could be sure of allies… and to deliver the last Potter to them. If he gave them Harry, who'd dare say he'd betrayed Lord Voldemort? He'd be welcomed back with honors…

So you see, I had to do something. I was the only one who knew Peter was still alive…

It was as if someone had lit a fire In my head, and the Dementors couldn't destroy it… It wasn't a happy feeling… it was an obsession… but it gave me strength, it cleared my mind. So, one night when they opened my door to bring food, I slipped past them as a dog… It's so much harder for them to sense animal emotions that they were confused… I was thin, very thin… thin enough to slip through the bars… I swam as a dog back to the mainland… I journeyed north and slipped into the Hogwarts grounds as a dog. I've been living in the forest ever since, except when I came to watch the Quidditch, of course. You fly as well as your father did, Harry…"

"So what you're saying is that to this vial little rat, it was all just a game to see who had the best deal, and then side with those who did." Lyra said, and when Sirius nodded, she continued, this time talking directly to Peter.

"That's _disgusting_, and low. It's despicable that someone would do that. It's even more so when you've betrayed the only people who ever trusted you, turned your back on them. If there's one thing my family's taught me, it's that you can try all you want to, but you can't hind the person you really are under all the facades. You may have everyone else fooled, but those who really know you can see straight through you will make sure you get what you deserve in the end. Trust me." Lyra said, her voice so cold, and filled with so much disgust and dislike that it surprised her friends for two reasons. a) they had never heard her talk like that, and b) she rarely _ever_ mentioned her family, and here, in this one night, she had mentioned them twice.

Whatever happened next, Lyra wasn't sure. Because she turned away from her friend's stares at that moment. Because as she had said those words about Pettigrew, something had occurred to her. _Was she no better then him? They all believed her to be an innocent little Gryffindor girl...but in reality, she was hiding from them the truth. The truth that she was a Death Eater's daughter, (and niece for that matter). The fact that she was supposed to be in Slytherin...the fact that she was Malfoy._

The rest of the group starting to leave through the tunnel, but Lyra just followed them numbly, still deep in her thoughts, saddness creeping into her hidden eyes.

_So was she betraying them by not telling the truth...or was she protectig them. To the eyes of the Wizarding World, (with the exception of her parents, Draco, the Lestranges, the Tonkses, [though not Nymphadora]) she didn't exist. Lucius and Narcissa only had one child...the perfect child...Draco - The Dragon, the Snake, the male, the child her parents, (especially her father) wanted. And here she was, just Lyra - the Lion, the girl, the one who defied almost everything she was taught. And yet...she hadn't been disowned, she hadn't been blasted off of the family tree...yet. No doubt one day she would. She was a blood traitor. But for some reason, that didn't seem to matter to her mother...or to Draco. Draco, the one who followed in their father's footsteps, who looked down upon half-bloods, muggleborns, and blood traitors like her...but he never looked down upon her directly. Instead, he protected her, and was a real brother, (in _every _possible way...including the annoying parts.) Yes, she was the a Malfoy...but did not telling her friends mean she was betraying them...just like Pettrigrew?_

The more Lyra thought about it, the more she realized that though they may not know who she is, that didn't mean she was going to betray them as soon as some other, better deal came along. She was loyal till the end. _No, because I'm not that rat...and I never will be! _she decided confidently.

Lyra was brought out of her tracks when she was stopped short...quite literally. She had bumped into Harry, who turned to look at her wide eyed, before simply pointing to Professor Lupin. What she saw made her gasp, and her heart jump to her throat as she stared in shock. He was transforming into his werewolf form. Lupin's head was lengthening. So was his body. His shoulders were hunching. Hair was sprouting visibly on his face and hands, which were curling into clawed paws. Suddenly, Black dissappeared from beside them, and transformed into his animagi form. The enormous, bearlike dog bounded forward. As the werewolf wrenched itself free of the manacle binding it, the dog seized it about the neck and pulled it backward, away from Ron and Pettigrew. They were locked, jaw to jaw, claws ripping at each other. Lyra could only watch in horror, scared for the lives of her friends, cousin, and teacher.

Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw movement. Pettigrew had dived for Lupin's dropped wand.

"No!" Lyra shouted at the same time that Hermione screamed.

"Expelli-" she started to say, but was cut off as a blast of light hit her in the chest. She stumbled, before falling back. The last thing she saw before she fell unconscious was Lupin running away into the Forbidden Forest. Then the full effects of the rat's spell hit her, and her vision became blurry, before she completely blacked out.

**_Anything you recognize is from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. _**

_**Thanks to all who are reading, and liking it. If you have any suggestions, questions, or comments, please feel free to review/private message me. Also, if you have any ideas at all, or would like to see something happen, let me know, and I'll consider putting them into a chapter. Thanks! ~ Leanora**_


	24. In the Hospital Wing

_**I unfortunately do not own the world of Harry Potter. That honor belongs to J. K. Rowling.**_

_**I would just like to say a quick thanks to Beautiful-Phoenix75, Celeste Belle, Echo Chambers, FashionStarlet, Princess-Lazy-Chan, Allen Pitt, Bramble Icedancer, Spontaneous. Combustion99, Singer in the Silence, JeanMarie09, SuperxGirlx5894, Sakura Lisel, Babi Girl -mandi-, dreamgirlnumerouno, Princess Lu, and XsarahXwillXachieveX.**_

_**This is my second fan-fic. Hope you like it! (And if you haven't figured out by now, reviews are appreciated!)**_

_**I am writing 5 other fan-**__**fics**__** at this time as well. If you could please check out my profile and check them out, I would greatly appreciate that. Thanks! :)**_

_**Okay, so by now, you all know that Lyra is a **__**Malfoy**__**. Just remember that even though you know, the characters don't.**_

**Chapter 24:**

**In the Hospital Wing**

Lyra was in a deep sleep, utterly still when she suddenly started to hear the sound of distant voices. Then the door was swung open with such force that it the noise echoed off the walls, causing a ringing sound to occur in Lyra's ears, doing nothing to help her headache.

"OUT WITH IT, POTTER! WHAT DID YOU DO?" bellowed a voice which Lyra recognized to be Professor Snape's. However, the next moments passed hurriedly in a blur as the young girl was forced to close her eyes as another wave of exhaustion...and something else that she couldn't identify hit her, causing her to fall back against her pillows. She still heard voices, but they were mingled, and distant, and their words were incoherent and incomprehensible to her.

The next time Lyra's eyes fluttered, the room was pitch black...and there was someone sitting on her bed. The witch's eyes flew open, only to have them drift up to see the familiar white-blond hair of her brother. She sighed, and relaxed. It was then that she noticed that he was holding her hand in his, running his thumb over the top of it.

"Lyra," he said simply, upon seeing her eyes flutter. And that's when he did something that she never in a million years though he would do...he leaned forward, and, wrapping his arms around her, pulled her towards him into a tight embrace. Lyra stayed there, arms at her sides, shocked, before slowly bringing them back to return the hug. She relaxed, and leaned her head against his shoulder. Finally, after what seemed like eternity, Lyra got up the courage to ask,

"Draco? Why?" she said simply. He pulled apart form her, holding his sister at arm's length, just staring at her. It took him a moment to realize what she was talking about. Then he shook his head, ran one hand through his hair, smiled slightly, and spoke,

"You're my sister, Lyra. What more do you want?" he asked. But Lyra shook her head, dropping her arms

"But this, Draco? You've never been one to show emotion, devotion, or things like that. And yet, here you are, hugging me like there's no tomorrow." Draco looked her straight in the eye then, his expression becoming very serious.

"Lyra, whatever curse you were hit with impacted you greatly. We still don't know the full effects of what happened. But what we do know is that it could have been fatal. Especially if..." and here he cut off, before continuing with the next part of the sentence, obviously having trouble saying it.

"Especially if your friends hadn't been there to get you up to the castle. If you had been treated any later, the effects might have been even worse." he said. Lyra's eyes widened, before she looked down at her lap, tears prickling at her eyes, shocked at what she had just learned.

"How did you find all this out?" she asked quietly.

"Snape," he replied easily. Then another thought occurred to Lyra.

"You didn't tell mum and Father, did you?" she asked, worried and afraid. He gave her a strange look, and replied.

"What, are you crazy? Of course I didn't tell them. You know perfectly well how they would react." Lyra visibly relaxed.

"Good. 'Cause that's the _last _thing I need when I get home. A lecture from _both_ of our parents." she said, only half-joking. Draco chuckled, but as he did so, Lyra tensed again as yet another thought entered her mind.

"Where's everyone else?" she asked, looking around. Her brother just stared at her, confused.

"What are you talking about? There's no one else here," he replied.

"But where's Harry, and Hermione, and Ron? They were all..."

"Released earlier this morning," Draco said, cutting her off with a wave of his hand, obviously annoyed. And again, Draco watched as his sister relaxed, before looking down at her lap. A moment of silence passed over them as he studied his sister. It was then, in the middle of the Hospital Wing, that Lyra decided to voice something that had been bothering her a lot lately, especially since the ordeal in the Shrieking Shack.

"Draco, why don't you have a problem with me? You have a problem with everyone else in our family like me. I might as well be considered a blood-traitor now. I'm pretty sure Father already thinks that. But you still treat me like I'm the way Malfoys are supposed to be. Why is that?" Draco just stared at his sister, and, realizing that she must have given this a lot of thought, and that it seemed to be hurting her, he slowly ran a hand through his white-blond hair, and sighed, considering his answer carefully.

"Besides the fact that you're my sister, it goes deeper then that. It may be the fact that we're twins, but we've always been close. And I know that, if push comes to shove, even if it goes against all your beliefs, you will do what you have to in order to help me. And besides, I can't exactly leave you to defend yourself, now can I? After all, what kind of a brother would I be if I just deserted you?" he said, trying to make light of the situation at the end. But Lyra took no notice of this, instead sighing, and replying slowly,

"Yes, you're right, I guess. I _would_ do pretty much anything to make sure that you stayed safe. But would you do the same for me?" she asked, throwing the ball back to him. He gulped, before deciding to play it safe, and just answer honestly.

"I - I don't know Lyra. I'm sorry. I most likely would, but I'd have to see the situation, to be perfectly honest." he said. To his surprise, Lyra just nodded.

"And to be perfectly honest, that's all I expected from you." she said, a faint smile playing on her lips.

"Thank you Draco. For everything." she said quietly, and looked up after speaking these words. Grey eyes met silver ones. Draco then leaned forward, and once more took his sister into his arms. And this time, Lyra was ready.

"I promise, Lyra. No matter what happens, I'll be there." And this time, Lyra let the tears that prickled at her eyes flow silently. They pulled apart.

"Well, I'd better get going. Don't want to get caught after curfew. But I'll see you tomorrow." he said, patting her hand once as he rose.

"And don't worry. Everything will be alright. Trust me." he said, putting a hand on her shoulder. A small smile crept onto her face, as she nodded, and watched him leave. Then she slid down again, and, for the first time in months, went to sleep happy, and peaceful. Maybe things were finally looking up after all.

Please let me know if you think that Draco is to Out of Character in this series. Thanks! :)

**_Anything you recognize is from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. _**

_**Thanks to all who are reading, and liking it. If you have any suggestions, questions, or comments, please feel free to review/private message me. Also, if you have any ideas at all, or would like to see something happen, let me know, and I'll consider putting them into a chapter. Thanks! ~ Leanora**_


	25. Summer of the Quidditch World Cup

_**I unfortunately do not own the world of Harry Potter. That honor belongs to J. K. Rowling.**_

_**I would just like to say a quick thanks to Singer in the Silence, Beautiful-Phoenix75, Spontaneous. Combustion99, FashionStarlet, Princess-Lazy-Chan, Ruby Red Grapefruit, Bramble Icedancer, spannieren, Allen Pitt, xxbabyxox, Whispering-Lestrange, Lindseypaw1, imadoodlenoodle, Gaow, magsdalena, potter-granger-mad, and Gotacold.**_

_**This is my second fan-fic. Hope you like it! (And if you haven't figured out by now, reviews are appreciated!)**_

_**I am writing 5 other fan-**__**fics**__** at this time as well. If you could please check out my profile and check them out, I would greatly appreciate that. Thanks! :)**_

_**Okay, so by now, you all know that Lyra is a **__**Malfoy**__**. Just remember that even though you know, the characters don't.**_

**Chapter 25:**

**Summer of the Quidditch World Cup**

On the train ride home, her friends filled her in. Apparently, Harry and Hermione had used the latter's time turner to go back in time, save Buckbeak, and rode the hippogriff up to Sirius Black's cell, where the man then rode the beast out of sight.

"Then he safe. And everything's fine now, correct?" she asked. They had reassured her that it was, and that they would write to her frequently. She had promised the same. They also made sure that she was alright, and that Pettigrew's curse didn't seem to have had any lasting effects…as far as they knew, that is.

Currently, Lyra Malfoy was in her room, trying to get some summer homework done. _Trying_ being the key word. Things at home were…well, not exactly great. Now that they were home, Draco had to be a bit more careful, at least when in the presence of their father. Lucius had been regarding his daughter with more of a cold shoulder than usual, looking down upon her, a smirk on his face.

Only their mother was acting normal…or, as normal as was humanly possible. She still treated and accepted Lyra as her daughter, despite the differences. And for this, the young girl was very grateful for.

Now for the next problem at hand…at the end of the summer was the Quidditch World Cup. How was she supposed to sit with them without being seen with them? She was _not_ about to stay in the tent during the whole event.

Suddenly, a loud _pop_, signifying the arrival of a house elf, engulfed the room. Lyra looked down to see her father's personal elf standing before her.

"Master Lucius says for you to go to the sitting room Misses." the creature said. Lyra nodded her thanks, and the house elf disappeared with another small _pop_ as she made her way downstairs.

When she arrived in the parlor, she was surprised to see that the rest of her family was already there, apparently waiting for her. Her parents were seated next to one another, and Draco was lounging on the couch, but moved over to make room for his sister.

"We have thought over your appearance problem, and have finally come up with a solution. Right before we leave for the World Cup, we will make you invisible to everyone except for us, so you'll have to be very careful not to bump into anyone. Only when we return home will I remove the spell. You are not to go off and talk to _anyone_ while we are there. Do I make myself clear?" Lucius asked his daughter coldly. Lyra looked him straight in the eye as she responded.

"Crystal, Father." He gave a curt nod once, before leaving the room, beckoning his son to follow. Lyra gave his hand a small squeeze as he rose, before he too left the room. Narcissa turned to her daughter, and said quietly,

"Your father is none too happy with you." The girl sighed, and looked down at her lap before replying.

"I know. But when has he _ever_ been pleased with me? I try, Mother, I really do. But I'm _never_ going to be the perfect child that he wants me to be. That's what Draco's there for." Narcissa stiffened.

"Draco emulates your father a bit too much, if you ask me. He doesn't even seem to consider you his sister."

"What?" Lyra looked up at her mother, shocked, before something clicked in her head.

"No, you don't understand. He just acts like that when Father is around, because he knows that's how Father expects him to act. When we're alone, he's different. I know he cares mum. Because I care for him." She said, trying to explain to her mother exactly what kind of a relationship she had with her brother.

A small smile appeared on the older Malfoy's face.

"I'm glad to hear that. Now, why don't you go upstairs and start packing. We leave in a few days, and I don't want any last minute rushing about." She said. Lyra got up, her expression matching her mother's, and gave the older witch a quick hug, before leaving her the sitting room. As Narcissa sat back down, she though upon what her daughter had said. _So Draco _did_ care for Lyra after all…but how far would that care stretch?_

Meanwhile, Lucius strode through the many hallways of Malfoy Manor, his son following him curiously, though the latter was careful to make sure his face was void of any emotion. The two soon entered into Mr. Malfoy's private study, and as Lucius closed the door with a flick of his wand, and gestured for his son to sit opposite him, Draco's heartbeat quickened. Lucius looked at his son carefully before speaking.

"As I'm sure you are aware, Lyra has certainly _not_ been up to the expectations of Malfoys. If anyone were to find out what who she is, and what she has done, the Malfoy name will forever be shamed."

"Father, where do I come into all this? Because as of right now, you're just telling me the same things that you've told me before." Draco said in the time that his Father paused for breath.

"Patience, Draco, is a quality you have yet to learn. Now, here's what I want you to do. You are to watch Lyra's every move, as much as you possibly can, and then report back to me on any suspicious action."

Draco gaped.

"You want me to _spy_ on my own sister?" he asked, unable to keep the incredulity out of his voice. Lucius' eyes narrowed.

"Is there something wrong, Draco? Is there some piece of information that I'm missing?" he asked sardonically. His son looked down at his lap, but stayed silent.

"Well?"

"Father, you're most likely not aware of this, but Lyra…she almost lost her life this past spring."

"No, I was not aware of this little detail. Is there a reason that you're telling me this?" he said, his voice cold, and uninterested. Draco looked up, surprised by the reaction to his confession.

"She tries, Father. She really does. And I'm sorry, but I will _not_ spy on her." Draco said, his voice strong, and cold as he leaned back in his chair, arms crossed. Lucius' eyes were now slits as he leaned forward, and his voice so cold it sent chills through Draco's body, said,

"You _will_ spy on your sister. And you will _not_ tell her of what you are doing. Because you _will_ uphold the Malfoy name, even if _she_ does not." The arrogant man then leaned back in his seat, elbows resting on the arms of the chair, and brought his fingers up to his mouth, so that the tips were touching, forming a "V". Draco stayed silent for a moment, before once more resuming the façade of the perfect son.

"Of course, Father. _I_ understand. After all, we can't have a blood-traitor in the family, now can we?" he said. His father smirked.

"Good." The latter replied, before dismissing his son, pleased with the way things had turned out.

The minute Draco was out of his father's sight, he walked was fast as he could to his room. He felt sick inside at what he had just done, at what he had just _said_. Did he want his father's approval _that_ much that he was willing to betray his sister? All along, he had just gone along with what his father wanted, but he had never actually done anything to purposely hurt Lyra, (well…that was from his Father's doing, anyway. There was the occasional prank or two, but he wasn't counting _those_.) All these thoughts brought him back to the conversation he had had with her in the Hospital Wing a few months back. How she had bluntly pointed out that everyone else in their family like her was treated horribly by him, but he didn't seem to care about _her _differences. But she had been right. Their father already considered her a blood-traitor…so why couldn't he? _Because she's my sister._ But he knew, somewhere, that sooner or later, Lyra would be disowned, and then _he_ would be thought of as a blood-traitor if he stayed in contact with her…and he would lose his father's approval. _Now I know how hard it must have been for mum to say good-bye to her sister when she married a muggle-born._ For now, however, he decided that he would do what he had been doing for the past fourteen years…he would play the part of "the perfect pure-blood son" when in front of everyone else, especially his father, but inside, and to his sister, he would play the part of "the perfect brother" – protective, annoying, but always there. Because if there was one thing he had learned from being in Slytherin, it was that you had to stick together, and stick up for each other, because no one else would. So he would spy on his sister…but instead of _for_ his father's benefit, it would be for his own – because after last year, _nothing_ was going to put Lyra in that much danger again, and he was going to do whatever it took to make sure of that.

The day of the Quidditch World Cup arrived quickly, and before anyone knew it, it was upon them. The four Malfoys were currently standing outside the Manor…they were going to arrive by Portkey. There was just one last thing that had to be done.

"Lyra. Come here so that I can disillusion you." Her father told her. She did as she was told. Lucius tapped his wand to his daughter's head, and she felt an odd sensation go through her body, as if ice was surrounding her, and she shivered. Then she took her rightful place in their small circle just as the portkey began to glow.

When they arrived, Narcissa told everyone to stick close, and they soon found their rightful "tent". A portable mansion was more like it. It was _huge_!

The Malfoys got settled, and it wasn't too long before they left to go find their seats, Lyra trailing behind her brother closely, making sure not to get lost.

Currently the Minister of Magic was talking to someone, and when he saw them, he said,

"Ah, and here's Lucius!"

"Ah, Fudge," her father replied, holding out his hand as he reached the Minister of Magic. "How are you? I don't think you've met my wife, Narcissa? Or our son, Draco?" As he introduced the rest of their visible family, Lyra felt left out, because she was sure that _had_ she been visible, her Father still wouldn't have properly acknowledged her as his daughter…or if he did, it would be simply for show.

"How do you do, how do you do?" said Fudge, smiling and bowing to Mrs. Malfoy. "And allow me to introduce you to Mr. Oblansk - Obalonsk - Mr. - well, he's the Bulgarian Minister of Magic, and he can't understand a word I'm saying anyway, so never mind. And let's see who else - you know Arthur Weasley, I daresay?"

Lyra chuckled softly into her hand as the Minister tried and failed to introduce the Bulgarian Minister, but stopped immediately and looked up upon the latest comment. She found that Harry and Hermione were there, as well as most of the Weasleys. And all of them were staring at her parents and brother with looks of utmost loathing. Though as her eyes raked over Harry's, it was obvious that he was thinking of the same memory as she was…the last time her father and Mr. Weasley had met, they had gotten into a fight in the middle of Flourish and Botts.

"Good lord, Arthur," Mr. Malfoy said softly. "What did you have to sell to get seats in the Top Box? Surely your house wouldn't have fetched this much?"

Lyra gasped slightly, but apparently Fudge hadn't noticed Lucius' comment, for he simply continued to talk.

"Lucius has just given a very generous contribution to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, Arthur. He's here as my guest."

"How - how nice," said Mr. Weasley, with a very strained smile.

She noticed that her father's eyes had now returned to Hermione, who was staring him straight in the eye, though looking a bit flushed. Her own eyes narrowed, and, though she knew her father wouldn't say anything, courtesy of Fudge's presence, she still wanted to defend her friend.

The older Malfoy man nodded sneeringly to Mr. Weasley and continued down the line to his seats. Draco shot Harry, Ron, and Hermione one contemptuous look, then settled himself between his mother and father. Or at least, that's what it looked like to everyone else. But in all reality, there was a seat in-between Draco and Narcissa – reserved for Lyra. Though of course, no one else knew about it, or could see it.

"Slimy gits," she heard Ron mutter to Harry and Ron, and personally, she bit back a laugh as Ludo Bagman charged into the box.

"Everyone ready?" he said, his round face gleaming like a great, excited Edam. "Minister - ready to go?"

"Ready when you are, Ludo," said Fudge comfortably.

Ludo whipped out his wand, directed it at his own throat, and said "Sonorus!" and then spoke over the roar of sound that was now filling the packed stadium; his voice echoed over them, booming into every corner of the stands.

"Ladies and gentlemen… welcome! Welcome to the final of the four hundred and twenty-second Quidditch World Cup!"

The spectators screamed and clapped. Thousands of flags waved, adding their discordant national anthems to the racket. The huge blackboard opposite them was wiped clear of its last message (Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans - A Risk With Every Mouthful!) and now showed BULGARIA: 0, IRELAND: 0.

"And now, without further ado, allow me to introduce… the Bulgarian National Team Mascots!"

The right-hand side of the stands, which was a solid block of scarlet, roared its approval.

A small crowd of Veela appeared, and then they started dancing. Personally, Lyra thought it was a fairly good show, but as she looked to her left, she gasped, before covering her mouth, though that did nothing to control the bouts of laughter that shook her body. Draco was gaping, wide-eyed at the Vela, and her looked as if he was about to stand up and declare his love for them right then and there. Narcissa was shaking her head as the beautiful creatures cleared the field.

"And now," roared Ludo Bagman's voice, "kindly put your wands in the air… for the Irish National Team Mascots!"

Next moment, what seemed to be a great green-and-gold comet came zooming into the stadium. It did one circuit of the stadium, then split into two smaller comets, each hurtling toward the goal posts. A rainbow arced suddenly across the field, connecting the two balls of light. The crowd oooohed and aaaaahed, as though at a fireworks display. Now the rainbow faded and the balls of light reunited and merged; they had formed a great shimmering shamrock, which rose up into the sky and began to soar over the stands. Something like golden rain seemed to be falling from it –

"Excellent!" she heard Ron yell as the shamrock soared over them, and heavy gold coins rained from it, bouncing off their heads and seats. From the corner of her eye, she noticed Draco looked in disgust at her friend, and she elbowed him lightly in the ribs. He glared at her in return, before both turned their attention back to the field.

The great shamrock dissolved, the leprechauns drifted down onto the field on the opposite side from the veela, and settled themselves cross-legged to watch the match.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, kindly welcome - the Bulgarian National Quidditch Team! I give you - Dimitrov!"

A scarlet-clad figure on a broomstick, moving so fast it was blurred, shot out onto the field from an entrance far below, to wild applause from the Bulgarian supporters.

"Ivanova!"

A second scarlet-robed player zoomed out.

"Zograf! Levski! Vulchanov! Volkov! Aaaaaaand - Krum!"

"That's him, that's him!" yelled Ron, following Krum with his Omnioculars. Harry quickly focused his own.

Viktor Krum was thin, dark, and sallow-skinned, with a large curved nose and thick black eyebrows. He looked like an overgrown bird of prey. It was hard to believe he was only eighteen.

"And now, please greet - the Irish National Quidditch Team!" yelled Bagman. "Presenting - Connolly! Ryan! Troy! Mullet! Moran! Quigley! Aaaaaand - Lynch!"

Seven green blurs swept onto the field.

"And here, all the way from Egypt, our referee, acclaimed Chairwizard of the International Association of Quidditch, Hassan Mostafa!"

A small and skinny wizard, completely bald with a mustache, wearing robes of pure gold to match the stadium, strode out onto the field. A silver whistle was protruding from under the mustache, and he was carrying a large wooden crate under one arm, his broomstick under the other.

Lyra watched closely as Mostafa mounted his broomstick and kicked the crate open - four balls burst into the air: the scarlet Quaffle, the two black Bludgers, and the minuscule, winged Golden Snitch.

With a sharp blast on his whistle, Mostafa shot into the air after the balls. And so the exciting game began. The plays were so quick that it was hard to keep track of what was happening. The players were flying so fast, passing the balls so quickly that the entire game was a blur.

Finally, much to both the disappointment and joy of Lyra, the game ended.

The scoreboard was flashing BULGARIA: 160, IRELAND: 170 across the crowd, who didn't seem to have realized what had happened. Then, slowly, as though a great jumbo jet were revving up, the rumbling from the Ireland supporters grew louder and louder and erupted into screams of delight.

"IRELAND WINS!" Bagman shouted, who like the Irish, seemed to be taken aback by the sudden end of the match.

"KRUM GETS THE SNITCH - BUT IRELAND WINS — good lord, I don't think any of us were expecting that!"

After the crowd dimmed own a bit, the Malfoys got up, and slowly made their way back to their tent. Immediately upon their return, Lucius went to his room, and locked the door. Lyra looked to her mother for an explanation, but she was simply looking nervous, so she looked to see if her brother knew anything, but he seemed to be as confused as she was.

"Alright. It's been a long day. Off to bed, both of you." Narcissa said, but Lyra could have sworn that she heard a hesitant, almost panicky note in her voice. However, the girl complied, and all too soon, she was sound asleep.

The next thing she knew, she was being woken up by her frantic mother.

"Lyra? Lyra where are you?' she called at the entry way to her daughter's room. The young witch sat bolt up-right.

"Mum? What's going on?" she asked, hurriedly pulling on her robe.

"Go with your brother. Make sure you stay together, and stay _out_ of sight. I will find you later." She said. Lyra just stared wide-eyed, before rushing out of the room to find her brother waiting lazily by the entrance to the tent. She grabbed his hand, startling him, before he led them out of the tent.

Lyra looked around and stared, horrified, at the scenes that were taking place. Fires were burning brightly, and masked men were walking around. _Death Eaters_, she thought. And then another realization occurred to her, one that caused disgust, hate, and anger to rise up inside of her. _Father's with them._

"Lyra, come on!" Draco whispered urgently, pulling her along, forcing his sister to tear her eyes from the horrid scene. They walked for a bit, Draco a bit too calm for her liking, when he stopped abruptly, causing her to crash into him. He motioned for her to step back a few steps, and he leaned against a tree. She looked up, and immediately saw why. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were walking near them, and Ron had tripped, muttering as he stood back:

"Tripped over a tree root," he said.

"Well, with feet that size, hard not to," said a drawling voice from behind them.

The three turned sharply, and Ron said something to her brother that Lyra was sure he wouldn't have dare say in front of his mother.

"Language, Weasley," said Draco, his pale eyes glittering. "Hadn't you better be hurrying along, now? You wouldn't like her spotted, would you?"

He nodded at Hermione, and at the same moment, a blast like a bomb sounded from the campsite, and a flash of green light momentarily lit the trees around them causing Lyra to look fearfully in that direction.

"What's that supposed to mean?" said Hermione defiantly.

"Granger, they're after Muggles," said Draco. "D'you want to be showing off your knickers in midair? Because if you do, hang around… they're moving this way, and it would give us all a laugh."

"Hermione's a witch," Harry snarled, at the same time that Lyra just barely resisted hitting her brother hard on the head.

"Have it your own way, Potter," said Malfoy, grinning maliciously. "If you think they can't spot a Mudblood, stay where you are."

With this comment, Lyra scrambled to find her wand amongst her robes. She had a strong urge to hex her brother right then and there…he seemed to have forgotten that she was right behind him, or she highly doubted that he would be saying such things, knowing how defensive she got of her friends.

"You watch your mouth!" shouted Ron.

"Never mind, Ron," said Hermione quickly, seizing Ron's arm to restrain him as he took a step toward the only visible Malfoy. There came a bang from the other side of the trees that was louder than anything they had heard several people nearby screamed. Her brother chuckled softly.

"Scare easily, don't they?" he said lazily. "I suppose your daddy told you all to hide? What's he up to - trying to rescue the Muggles?"

"Where're your parents?" said Harry, his temper rising. "Out there wearing masks, are they?"

Malfoy turned his face to Harry, still smiling.

"Well… if they were, I wouldn't be likely to tell you, would I, Potter?" Lyra shook her head at her brother's stupidity. _Idiot! You just _told_ him that Father was a Death Eater…not that I'm complaining._ She thought.

"Oh come on," said Hermione, with a disgusted look at Malfoy, "let's go and find the others."

"Keep that big bushy head down, Granger," sneered Malfoy.

"Come on," Hermione repeated, and she pulled Harry and Ron up the path again.

The minute they were out of sight, Lyra rounded on Draco, to whom she was still invisible to.

"How could you? She's a witch, and you know it! Why do you insist on bullying them? They don't do anything to deserve it. You know, sometimes I think that Mother's right…you do try to emulate Father more then what's good for you." She finished her ranting, and the other Malfoy looked around, trying to figure out exactly where his sister was. Giving up, he simply started talking.

"Lyra, look. It's a mutual hate, so don't go blaming _me_. And besides, if I _didn't_ insult them, they would think something was up. So calm down!" he said, though he was not calm himself.

Then, just as she was about to retort back, she gasped, and started shaking. She moved closer to Draco, and, hearing gasp, he turned around and looked up. And for some reason, the figure in the sky had the opposite effect on him. But Lyra was just staring horrified at the smoky green image in the sky. Because it was one that she had seen a few times on her father's left arm, and she knew that its presence could only bring about bad news. Because in the sky, fluorescent against the dark night sky, was the Dark Mark.

**_Anything you recognize is from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. _**

_**Thanks to all who are reading, and liking it. If you have any suggestions, questions, or comments, please feel free to review/private message me. Also, if you have any ideas at all, or would like to see something happen, let me know, and I'll consider putting them into a chapter. Thanks! ~ Leanora**_


	26. The TriWizard Tournament

_**I unfortunately do not own the world of Harry Potter. That honor belongs to J. K. Rowling.**_

_**I would just like to say a quick thanks to Princess-Lazy-Chan, spannieren, Bramble Icedancer, Roxie Night, Miranda Cahill of Conte, Allen Pitt, mlkduds009, Maejirase, darkcrystal97, anymousse rox, FlyingNargles, TripleEclipse StormSaviour, MoonRiderXXX, and ADHD CrazyDayDreamer.  
**_

**_This is my second fan-fic. Hope you like it! (And if you haven't figured out by now, reviews are appreciated!)_**

_**I am writing 5 other fan-**__**fics**__** at this time as well. If you could please check out my profile and check them out, I would greatly appreciate that. Thanks! :)**_

_**Okay, so by now, you all know that Lyra is a **__**Malfoy**__**. Just remember that even though you know, the characters don't.**_

**Chapter 26:**

**The Tri-Wizard Tournament**

As Draco passed his sister's room on September 1, a hand suddenly stuck out of nowhere and, grabbing his wrist, pulled him into a room. Draco whirled around to find himself face to face with his twin.

"Lyra we're suppo- what's wrong." He said, stopping mid-sentence as he noticed her expression.

"What did Father talk to you about the night before the Quidditch World Cup." She asked, having finally gotten up the courage to do so.

Draco gulped.

"He doesn't want me to tell you." He said nervously.

"Please Draco? I won't let him know that you told me." She pleaded. He sighed, and taking a deep breath, said,

"He wants me to spy on you."

"Because I'm not acting as a Malfoy should, right? Because he wants to know my every move so he can figure out when to disown me."

"Lyra he's not -"

"Don't tell me he's not going to disown me one day, because you and I both know that the chances of me being blasted off the family tree are high." she said, snapping at him. There was a moment of silence before she said,

"So? Are you going to spy on me for him?" she replied.

"Yes. _But_ not for him. Rather, so that I can make sure for myself that you aren't in any danger." He said, ending quickly, hoping she wouldn't yell at him. Instead, his words at the opposite effect. She was completely silent.

"Is this because of what happened last spring?"

"Yes. And if I had been there…"

"Then nothing would have gone the way it should have. The way it did. Being at Hogwarts doesn't mean we're out of danger. We're around magic, and spells go array."

"But this one was for you specifically. I'm _not_ letting that happen again."

"And _I'm_ not letting you waste your time worrying over me. I'll be perfectly fine. I promise." She said. At that moment, Narcissa's voice came through the house, obviously magically magnified so that she sounded as if she were on a loudspeaker.

"Draco, Lyra, we're leaving in two minutes!"

"Come on. We'd better get down there _before_ she comes chasing after us."

"Right." Draco replied with a grimace.

Once downstairs, she bid both of her parents good-bye, her Father coolly, while her mother cordially.

And then they were off! She met up with her friends upon the Hogwarts express.

"Happy belated birthday Harry!" she said as they found their seats.

"Thanks," he said, smiling warmly at her.

"I really liked your present," he said, and she returned the smile. She had gotten him a box of chocolates as well as a small model of a golden snitch that actually worked. As she leaned back in her seat, her smile broadened…she was finally back amongst her friends.

When they arrived at Hogwarts, it turned out that Professor Dumbledore had a few announcements to make. After the usual, the Forbidden Forest _is_ forbidden, and stuff like that, he said something that caught everyone's attention.

"It is also my painful duty to inform you that the Inter-House Quidditch Cup will not take place this year. This is due to an event that will be starting in October, and continuing throughout the school year, taking up much of the teachers' time and energy - but I am sure you will all enjoy it immensely. I have great pleasure in announcing that this year at Hogwarts -"

But at that moment, there was a deafening rumble of thunder and the doors of the Great Hall banged open.

A man stood in the doorway, leaning upon a long staff, shrouded in a black traveling cloak. Every head in the Great Hall swiveled toward the stranger, suddenly brightly illuminated by a fork of lightning that flashed across the ceiling. He lowered his hood, shook out a long mane of grizzled, dark gray hair, then began to walk up toward the teachers' table.

A dull clunk echoed through the Hall on his every other step. He reached the end of the top table, turned right, and limped heavily toward Dumbledore. Another flash of lightning crossed the ceiling, and brought the man's features into light, causing her to gasp.

His face looked as though it had been carved out of weathered wood by someone who had only the vaguest idea of what human faces are supposed to look like, and was none too skilled with a chisel. Every inch of skin seemed to be scarred. The mouth looked like a diagonal gash, and a large chunk of the nose was missing. But it was the man's eyes that made him frightening.

One of them was small, dark, and beady. The other was large, round as a coin, and a vivid, electric blue. The blue eye was moving ceaselessly, without blinking, and was rolling up, down, and from side to side, quite independently of the normal eye - and then it rolled right over, pointing into the back of the man's head, so that all they could see was whiteness.

And for some reason, though Lyra couldn't recall why, he seemed vaguely familiar to her. She looked across the room and noticed a majority of Slytherins glaring at him, though why, she wasn't sure.

As he reached the headmaster, he put out his hand, before taking the seat that was provided for him.

"May I introduce our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?" said Dumbledore brightly into the silence. "Professor Moody."

_Moody! That's why he looked so familiar. Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody had tried to convict her father for being a Death Eater. He had also thrown many of the other Slytherins' parents into Azkaban. He was an auror.__ No wonder they all looked angry. And no wonder everyone was so silent._ Because unlike in the past, no one had applauded the new Defense teacher's arrival.

Dumbledore cleared his throat.

"As I was saying," he said, smiling at the sea of students before him, all of whom were still gazing transfixed at Mad-Eye Moody, "we are to have the honor of hosting a very exciting event over the coming months, an event that has not been held for over a century. It is my very great pleasure to inform you that the Triwizard Tournament will be taking place at Hogwarts this year."

"You're JOKING!" said Fred Weasley loudly.

The tension that had filled the Hall ever since Moody's arrival suddenly broke. Nearly everyone laughed, and Dumbledore chuckled appreciatively.

"I am not joking, Mr. Weasley," he said, "Though now that you mention it, I did hear an excellent one over the summer about a troll, a hag, and a leprechaun who all go into a bar."

Professor McGonagall cleared her throat loudly.

"Er - but maybe this is not the time… no…" said Dumbledore, "where was I? Ah yes, the Triwizard Tournament… well, some of you will not know what this tournament involves, so I hope those who do know will forgive me for giving a short explanation, and allow their attention to wander freely."

Now, normally, Lyra would listen, but as she _did_ already know what the tournament was, she tuned him out, and instead occupied her time looking around. Draco was, for some reason, sulking. And she knew why. This time around, only of age students would be permitted to enter the Tournament. And that meant that he couldn't. Personally, she couldn't see _why_ anyone would want to enter. Sure, fortune, and fame, and one song: glory were involved, but at what price? The tasks were extremely dangerous. Which is why, even though underage wizards were not allowed to participate, she had an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach that Harry was somehow going to end up in the torment anyway.

And suddenly everyone was moving. Still occupied with these and other thoughts, she got up and followed the crowd mindlessly. This was going to be an interesting year…and interesting year indeed.

**_Anything you recognize is from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. _**

_**Thanks to all who are reading, and liking it. If you have any suggestions, questions, or comments, please feel free to review/private message me. Also, if you have any ideas at all, or would like to see something happen, let me know, and I'll consider putting them into a chapter. Thanks! ~ Leanora**_


	27. The Unforgivable Curses

**_I unfortunately do not own the world of Harry Potter. That honor belongs to J. K. Rowling._**

**_I would just like to say a quick thanks to Princess-Lazy-Chan, Spontaneous. Combustion99, Allen Pitt, lemonpop97, anymousse rox, Karou WindStalker, DaniPotterCedric'sGirl, SuperxGirlx5894, TripleEclipse StormSaviour, Whispering-Lestrange, water goddess 19, and Sam-EvansBlue._**

**_This is my second fan-fic. Hope you like it! (And if you haven't figured out by now, reviews are appreciated!)_**

**_I am writing 5 other fan-fics at this time as well. If you could please check out my profile and check them out, I would greatly appreciate that. Thanks! :)_**

**_Okay, so by now, you all know that Lyra is a Malfoy. Just remember that even though you know, the characters don't._**

**Chapter 27:**

**The Unforgivable Curses**

It wasn't until Thursday that Lyra had her first Defense Against the Dark Arts class with Professor Moody. Surprisingly, Hermione was the last to arrive.

"Been in the -"

"Library." Harry finished her sentence for her. "C'mon, quick, or we won't get decent seats." Lyra chuckled as the four quickly took four seats in the front of the room, took out their copies of The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection, and waited, unusually quiet. Soon they heard Moody's distinctive clunking footsteps coming down the corridor, and he entered the room, looking as strange and frightening as ever. They could just see his clawed, wooden foot protruding from underneath his robes.

"You can put those away," he growled, stumping over to his desk and sitting down, "those books. You won't need them."

They returned the books to their bags, Ron looking excited.

Moody took out a register, shook his long mane of grizzled gray hair out of his twisted and scarred face, and began to call out names, his normal eye moving steadily down the list while his magical eye swiveled around, fixing upon each student as he or she answered. Lyra held her breath as he took roll call, hoping that he would not mention her last name - for thought the students were under a spell, all the _teachers_ knew whom she really was. Only after he called her name with no mistake did she let out her breath, relaxing in relief, though she was sure for a moment that as he read her name, he was staring right at her, as if trying to measure just exactly what kind of a person she really was.

"Right then," he said, when the last person had declared themselves present, "I've had a letter from Professor Lupin about this class. Seems you've had a pretty thorough grounding in tackling Dark creatures - you've covered boggarts, Red Caps, hinkypunks, grindylows, Kappas, and werewolves, is that right?"

There was a general murmur of assent.

"But you're behind - very behind - on dealing with curses," said Moody. "So I'm here to bring you up to scratch on what wizards can do to each other. I've got one year to teach you how to deal with Dark -"

"What, aren't you staying?" Ron blurted out.

Moody's magical eye spun around to stare at Ron; Ron looked extremely apprehensive, but after a moment Moody smiled - the first time Harry had seen him do so. The effect was to make his heavily scarred face look more twisted and contorted than ever, but it was nevertheless good to know that he ever did anything as friendly as smile.

Ron looked deeply relieved.

"You'll be Arthur Weasley's son, eh?" Moody said. "Your father got me out of a very tight corner a few days ago… Yeah, I'm staying just the one year. Special favor to Dumbledore… One year, and then back to my quiet retirement."

He gave a harsh laugh, and then clapped his gnarled hands together.

"So - straight into it. Curses. They come in many strengths and forms. Now, according to the Ministry of Magic, I'm supposed to teach you countercurses and leave it at that. I'm not supposed to show you what illegal Dark curses look like until you're in the sixth year." _So of course, Hermione will be _more_ than thrilled that we're learning about them now. _But personally, she was a little hesitant about learning what they were like...she had heard so many horrible things about them, and their results...not to mention she knew for a fact that some of her family members had used them. Still, it _would_ be nice to know what she was going to be up against.

"So… do any of you know which curses are most heavily punished by wizarding law?" _The Unforgivable Curses _Lyra mentally answered, awed and a bit frightened that those were the curses that they would be learning about right away.

Several hands rose tentatively into the air, including Ron's and Hermione's. (Though she knew the answer, she didn't want to admit it. She _hated_ them, and all the damage they had done...and the people who had used them so carelessly.)

Moody pointed at Ron, though his magical eye was still fixed on Lavender, whom had been caught not paying attention earlier in the class.

"Er," said Ron tentatively, "my dad told me about one… Is it called the Imperius Curse, or something?"

"Ah, yes," said Moody appreciatively. "Your father would know that one.

Gave the Ministry a lot of trouble at one time, the Imperius Curse." _And I know why_ Lyra thought bitterly. _Death Eaters, (like my _lovely _father) lied and said that during Voldemort's reign, they had been put under the Imperious Curse.)_

Moody got heavily to his mismatched feet, opened his desk drawer, and took out a glass jar. Three large black spiders were scuttling around inside it. Lyra pushed her seat back a few feet automatically. She wasn't such a huge fan of spiders, _especially_after meeting Aragog in second year, but her reaction was nothing compared to Ron's. His chair scooted back so far, it bumped into the desk behind him. Cheeks slightly red, he moved his chair up, just a bit.

Moody reached into the jar, caught one of the spiders, and held it in the palm of his hand so that they could all see it. He then pointed his wand at it and muttered, "Imperio!"

The spider leapt from Moody's hand on a fine thread of silk and began to swing backward and forward as though on a trapeze. It stretched out its legs rigidly, then did a back flip, breaking the thread and landing on the desk, where it began to cartwheel in circles. Moody jerked his wand, and the spider rose onto two of its hind legs and went into what was unmistakably a tap dance.

Everyone was laughing - everyone except Moody and Lyra herself. Lyra was instead clenching and unclenching her hands beneath the table.

Think it's funny, do you?" he growled. "You'd like it, would you, if I did it to you?"

The laughter died away almost instantly.

"Total control," said Moody quietly as the spider balled itself up and began to roll over and over. "I could make it jump out of the window, drown itself, throw itself down one of your throats…"

Ron gave an involuntary shudder.

"Years back, there were a lot of witches and wizards being controlled by the Imperius Curse," said Moody, and Harry knew he was talking about the days in which Voldemort had been all-powerful. "Some job for the Ministry, trying to sort out who was being forced to act, and who was acting of their own free will." _Just like I thought...and knew._

"The Imperius Curse can be fought, and I'll be teaching you how, but it takes real strength of character, and not everyone's got it. Better avoid being hit with it if you can. CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" he barked, and everyone jumped.

Moody picked up the somersaulting spider and threw it back into the jar.

"Anyone else know one? Another illegal curse?"

Hermione's hand flew into the air again and so, to Harry's slight surprise, did Neville's. The only class in which Neville usually volunteered information was Herbology which was easily his best subject. Neville looked surprised at his own daring.

"Yes?" said Moody, his magical eye rolling right over to fix on Neville.

"There's one - the Cruciatus Curse," said Neville in a small but distinct voice. Lyra looked at him sadly...she knew what had happened to make him know that curse - right after Voldemort's downfall, Barty Crouch Jr., Rodolphus Lestrange and Bellatrix Lestrange went and tortured Frank and Alice Longbottom for information - they were tortured to the point of insanity. Though she knew it wasn't her fault, Lyra still felt partly responsible...but she also felt hatred and disgust that someone related to her would do such despicable things.

"The Cruciatus Curse," said Moody. "Needs to be a bit bigger for you to get the idea," he said, pointing his wand at the spider. "Engorgio!"

The spider swelled. It was now larger than a tarantula. Moody raised his wand again, pointed it at the spider, and muttered, "Crucio!"

At once, the spider's legs bent in upon its body; it rolled over and began to twitch horribly, rocking from side to side. No sound came from it, but Lyra knew that if it could have given voice, it would have been screaming. Personally, Lyra dug her nails into her knees, but found that still, she could only look for a moment. She closed her eyes to block out the sight, but instead, visions of her father, uncles and aunt torturing nameless people came to her. She clenched her jaw, trying to rid herself of these horrid sights. Finally, it was Hermione's voice who brought her out of her misery.

"Stop it!" she said shrilly. Lyra looked up, and immediatly knew why, and guilt overcame her. Neville's hands were clenched upon the desk in front of him, his knuckles white, his eyes wide and horrified. Moody raised his wand. The spider's legs relaxed, but it continued to twitch.

"Reducio," Moody muttered, and the spider shrank back to its proper size. He put it back into the jar.

"Pain," said Moody softly. "You don't need thumbscrews or knives to torture someone if you can perform the Cruciatus Curse… That one was very popular once too." At this, Lyra shuddered.

Right… anyone know any others?"

Harry looked around. From the looks on everyone's faces, he guessed they were all wondering what was going to happen to the last spider. Hermione's hand shook slightly as, for the third time, she raised it into the air.

"Yes?" said Moody, looking at her.

"Avada Kedavra," Hermione whispered.

Several people looked uneasily around at her, including Ron and Lyra.

"Ah," said Moody, another slight smile twisting his lopsided mouth. "Yes, the last and worst. Avada Kedavra… the Killing Curse."

He put his hand into the glass jar, and almost as though it knew what was coming, the third spider scuttled frantically around the bottom of the jar, trying to evade Moody's fingers, but he trapped it, and placed it upon the desktop. It started to scuttle frantically across the wooden surface.

Moody raised his wand, and Harry felt a sudden thrill of foreboding.

"Avada Kedavra!" Moody roared. Lyra shuddered again, more violently than before, gripping her knees so hard at this point that blood had begun to show in little dots, but she didn't care. Fear went through her body as she watched the spider die.

There was a flash of blinding green light and a rushing sound, as though a vast, invisible something was soaring through the air - instantaneously the spider rolled over onto its back, unmarked, but unmistakably dead. Several of the students stifled cries; Ron had thrown himself backward and almost toppled off his seat as the spider skidded toward him.

Moody swept the dead spider off the desk onto the floor.

"Not nice," he said calmly. "Not pleasant. And there's no countercurse. There's no blocking it. Only one known person has ever survived it, and he's sitting right in front of me." Automatically, Lyra looked to her friend, who sat pale and rigid in his seat. She felt bad for him...he hated attention, but more than that, he must have simply loathed seeing Moody's demonstrations.

"Avada Kedavra's a curse that needs a powerful bit of magic behind it - you could all get your wands out now and point them at me and say the words, and I doubt I'd get so much as a nosebleed. But that doesn't matter. I'm not here to teach you how to do it.

Now, if there's no countercurse, why am I showing you? Because you've got to know. You've got to appreciate what the worst is. You don't want to find yourself in a situation where you're facing it. CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" he roared, and the whole class jumped again.

"Now… those three curses - Avada Kedavra, Imperius, and Cruciatus - are known as the Unforgivable Curses. The use of any one of them on a fellow human being is enough to earn a life sentence in Azkaban. That's what you're up against. That's what I've got to teach you to fight. You need preparing. You need arming. But most of all, you need to practice constant, never-ceasing vigilance. Get out your quills… copy this down…"

They spent the rest of the lesson taking notes on each of the Unforgivable Curses. No one spoke until the bell rang - but when Moody had dismissed them and they had left the classroom, a torrent of talk burst forth. Most people were discussing the curses in awed voices –, but personally, Lyra was disguested and numb. She walked with her head down, trying to get out unnoticed, even by her friends. However, something that Hermione said made her stop.

"Neville." Neville was standing alone, halfway up the passage, staring at the stone wall opposite him with the same horrified, wide-eyed look he had worn when Moody had demonstrated the Cruciatus Curse.

"Neville?" Hermione said gently.

Neville looked around.

"Oh hello," he said, his voice much higher than usual. "Interesting lesson, wasn't it? I wonder what's for dinner, I'm - I'm starving, aren't you?"

"Neville, are you all right?" said Hermione.

"Oh yes, I'm fine," Neville gabbled in the same unnaturally high voice. "Very interesting dinner - I mean lesson - what's for eating?"

Ron gave Harry a startled look.

"Neville, what -?"

But an odd clunking noise sounded behind them, and they turned to see Professor Moody limping toward them. All four of them fell silent, watching him apprehensively, but when he spoke, it was in a much lower and gentler growl than they had yet heard.

"It's all right, sonny," he said to Neville. "Why don't you come up to my office? Come on… we can have a cup of tea…"

Neville looked even more frightened at the prospect of tea with Moody.

He neither moved nor spoke. Moody turned his magical eye upon Harry.

"You all right, are you, Potter?"

"Yes," said Harry, almost defiantly.

Moody's blue eye quivered slightly in its socket as it surveyed Harry. Then he said, "You've got to know. It seems harsh, maybe, but you've got to know. No point pretending… well… come on, Longbottom, I've got some books that might interest you."

Neville looked pleadingly at Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Lyra. As he followed Professor Moody, Lyra had the urge to say something to him...to apologize to him, but she didn't think it was a good time, nor did she think that he wanted the trio of Gryffindors also preset to know the truth.

All through dinner, Lyra stayed unusually quiet. She noticed her friends exchanging looks, but she was grateful that they didn't ask her anything about her odd behavior. She left dinner early, muttering a quick good-bye to them, and starting walking mindlessly around. She wasn't paying any attention to where she was going, and so it wasn't really much of a surprise when she walked right into another person.

"Oh, sorry," she said extremely quietly, not even bothering to look up.

"Why you so down? Moody's class too much for you?" a girl taunted. Lyra recognized the voice to be that of Pansy "the pug" Parkinson's.

"Pansy, why don't you and the guys go ahead? I'll teach this baby girl her lesson." Lyra heard her brother sneer. With glares, the other Slytherins passed. The minute they were out of sight, Draco pulled her into an empty classroom, and locking the door, turned to his sister, concern written on his pale face.

"Lyra, what happened?" he asked.

"Pansy was right," she said simply, before hugging her brother, seeking comfort as tears rolled down the overwhelmed girl's face. And though it hadn't affected him much at all, he immediately saw where why it would hit his sister so hard. He wrapped his arms protectively around her.

"I promise you Lyra, I will _never_ let you be witness to that again," he said. Little did he know that this was one promise he wasn't going to be able to keep.

After about five minutes, Lyra had calmed down enough so that the tears were now just tracks on her pale skin.

"Sorry Draco," she apologized as they broke apart. He shrugged.

"Thank you." she said again, before leaving the room.

Draco stared after his sister...she was a strong girl, but when things hit her, they hit her hard, and then she could at least face them. But he feared that one of these days, something was going to hit her...and either she wouldn' be ale to bounce back, or worse...he wouldn't be there to help her through it. He sighed, running a hand through his blond-white hair, before putting on his cold, Slytherin mask, and joining his classmates.

Meanwhile, when Lyra reached the common room, she round it empty...with the exception of one lone fourth-year boy..Neville. She took a deep breath and walked over to him. As she placed her hand on his shoulder, he jumped, before quickly trying to compose himself.

"Hi Lyra!" he said, but his voice was still unnaturally high. The Malfoy girl sat down, and said quietly,

"I'm sorry, Neville. I am _so_ sorry." He just stared at her for a moment, before saying fearfully and hoarsly,

"You know?" She nodded, and then said,

"But I promise, I won't ever tell _anyone_. That's up to you." He nodded gratefully.

"Thank you." he said.

"Anytime, Neville. Really," she replied sincerly, before getting up and leaving her friend and classmate staring at the fire, deep in thought.

As she reached her bed, she collasped, saddened. She really hoped with all her heart that things would not get any more complicated, and that she would _never_ have another class like today's. Because truth be told, she wasn't sure if she could handle it.

**_Anything you recognize is from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire._**

**_Thanks to all who are reading, and liking it. If you have any suggestions, questions, or comments, please feel free to review/private message me. Also, if you have any ideas at all, or would like to see something happen, let me know, and I'll consider putting them into a chapter. Thanks! ~ Leanora_**


	28. Feelings and Discussions

**_I unfortunately do not own the world of Harry Potter. That honor belongs to J. K. Rowling._**

**_I would just like to say a quick thanks to Allen Pitt, Sam-EvansBlue, FredsForeverFanGirl, Princess-Lazy-Chan, magsdalena, water goddess 19, ThatGirlWhoLikesBooks, Lu-oka-na-mi, saturdayfanbast, The Demon of Wrath, Eternal Mischief, TotallyBlondified, ShiningStarLily97, SilverMoon100, and Sololight.  
_**

**_This is my second fan-fic. Hope you like it! (And if you haven't figured out by now, reviews are appreciated!)_**

**_I am writing 5 other fan-fics at this time as well. If you could please check out my profile and check them out, I would greatly appreciate that. Thanks! :)_**

**_Okay, so by now, you all know that Lyra is a Malfoy. Just remember that even though you know, the characters don't._**

**Chapter 28:**

**Feelings and Discussions**

The next Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson was Friday, third period, and it came far too soon for Lyra's liking. Many of her admired Professor Moody, and found his classes interesting. Even after their last class, most were still very eager to attend the next one.

But not Lyra. She was nervous, and absolutely dreading this next lesson. Between the fact that Moody knew so much about her family, and simply what he was showing them, she was, to be truthful, scared, and _very_ apprehensive.

"Lyra," came Harry's concerned voice, breaking the Malfoy girl from her thoughts.

"Are you okay?" he asked, worried as he watched his already pale-skinned friend grow paler as they approached the classroom.

"I – I'm fine Harry," she stuttered, nodding her head shakily. He glanced at her, unconvinced, as they took their seats.

To their surprise, Professor Moody had announced that he would be putting the Imperius Curse on each of them in turn, to demonstrate its power and to see whether they could resist its effects. But whereas most found this cool, and were excited for this to begin, Lyra clenched her fists, and fought the urge to run from the classroom.

As they lined up, Lyra made sure to be at the very back of the classroom, so that, hopefully, the bell would ring before Moody could put the curse on her, and simply watched her classmates one at a time, be put under the curse, and shuddering each time _Imperio _was said.

As she moved up the line, she became increasingly nervous, and her heartbeat sped up rapidly. So far, only Harry could resist the curse. (Go figure.)

And suddenly, it was her turn. Both of Moody's eyes were on her as he raised his wand and said,

"_Imperio_!"

Immediately, her nerves reduced, and a cold, but calm feeling spread through her body.

And then Moody's voice entered her head.

_Go to the board and write your name._

And, without warning, she found herself moving towards the board and picking up a piece of chalk. But just as she was getting to the _r_, she started to question what she was doing. _No! This can't be happening! No! I – I won't!_ she thought, and her hand faltered, but didn't stop writing. _No! I won't go through with this! No one…no one will know the truth. No..Stop, _"NO!"

And she pulled back her hand, smashing it on the chalk holder on the way. Everyone stared stunned at her.

"Well, it looks like Potter isn't the only one who can resist it after all." Moody said, breaking the silence.

"It looks like some people just need the right…motivation, eh, Lyra?" he said, and a shudder passed through her body. Luckily, the bell rang then, and she was able to leave, pulling her cloak around her shaking body, and it _wasn't _because she was cold.

"What happened back there?" Ron asked as he and the rest of their friends caught up to her.

"No-Nothing." She said, but her voice caught in her throat.

"Lyra, tell us." Hermione said, but her friend merely shook her head and went a few steps ahead when she looked up, and barely managed not to crash into a certain blond Slytherin. They looked at each other, and for a moment, Lyra saw her brother's real intentions for stopping them in his eyes, before they resumed their masked roles.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" Harry asked coldly, and another shudder ran through her body. _If this was how they reacted to her brother, what would happen when they found out who _she_ really was?_

"Well isn't it obvious Weasley?" Pansy Parkinson said, intervening. (And obviously taking it upon herself to answer Ron's question.)

"Moody asked her to write her name. But like the cowardly lion that she is, she couldn't go through with it. You _might_ want to be careful of secrets, Potter. You'll never know what she has up her sleeve." The Slytherin girl said, smirking, and glancing at Draco for approval. (Hermione [for some reason unknown to Lyra] was holding back a laugh.)

Draco however, had stiffened at her words, (but perhaps only Lyra caught this). He looked, to his sister at least, as though he wanted to punch her in the face. But she knew he wouldn't do that for two reasons. First, he wouldn't hit a girl (besides her), and secondly, it just _might_ give them away…but mostly the latter.

"Just you wait. One day, you'll get what's coming to you. Just you wait." Ron said, threatening the group of Slytherins.

"Weasley! Put that wand away now!" came Professor Snape's voice, and Lyra saw Ron gulp.

"Draco, Lyra, my office, now. The rest of you, off to class. _Now!_ Before I start deducting points." He said, glaring at her friends. Harry gave his friend an apologetic look, before leading Ron and Hermione away from the Snakes.

Once inside the Potions Master's office, he disappeared into his private quarters, leaving the two Malfoy siblings alone, for which both were grateful.

"We have got to stop meeting like this," Draco said, breaking the silence.

"What are you talking about?" Lyra responded, confused.

"In classrooms. On the side. _Especially_ only when you're upset!"

"Well what are we _supposed _to do?" his sister replied, exasperated. "We can't exactly front of everyone and talk like this." She said, her voice rising.

"Then, can you at least try not to get so upset all the time? It's driving me crazy having to always play big brother!" he shouted back at her. Lyra took a step back, hurt.

"You're tired of being my brother?" she asked quietly, before turning away.

"That's not what I said," Draco said, still angry.

"I said I'm tired of always having to fill in and come to your rescue just because _you're_ upset." He said.

"Well _sorry_ I'm so emotional!" Lyra yelled, spinning around to face Draco once more.

"I'm sorry our family is so full of murderers and torturers that what we're learning becomes a very touchy subject for me! I hate our family, and I _hate_ what they've done to people!" she screamed, her voice almost at full volume now. Draco just stared at her, shocked at her outburst.

"I'm sorry." He said, and Lyra wasn't sure she heard correctly.

"What?"

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize that you felt that way about all of them…of us. And for what I said before. I promised you once that I would be there for you when you needed me. Its just…Father's mark is growing darker, and I'm not sure what that's going to mean for our family. But I _will_ protect you. Because you're my sister. My crazy, Gryffindor sister." He said, chuckling a bit as once again he pulled her towards him. But after only a moment of her head on his chest, something collided with his stomach.

"Ow! What was that for?" he asked.

"Oh come on! It wasn't _that_ hard!" Lyra said, and she brought her arms around her brother's waist again.

"And you're my brother. My arrogant, snake-loving brother. And I love you for it." She said into his shirt. And Draco smiled serenely.

"Well, I hate to break up this happy moment, but you two need to get to your next class." Snape said coming back into the room.

"Thank you, sir." Lyra said gratefully to her professor as she broke apart from her brother. Snape simply nodded, before handing them both hall passes and sending them on their way.

As she had a free period next, she went back to the Gryffindor Common Room, where immediately was surrounded by her worried friends.

"I'm fine, _honestly_!" she said lightly, much to their surprise.

"How come you're always fine after a confrontation with Malfoy?" Ron asked suspiciously. She shrugged before replying.

"I guess because I can yell at him all I want, and direct my anger at him." She said, and luckily, this seemed to be a satisfactory enough answer for her redheaded friend.

Later that night, two more important things happened. First, Harry came over to sit next to her by the fire in the common room, long after everyone else had gone to bed.

"Lyra, can I ask you something?" he asked.

"You just did, Harry. But yes, of course you can," she replied. The raven-haired boy took a breath before questioning his friend.

"Lyra why are you so afraid of people knowing your full name? First your boggart, now this? _I_ don't even know your last name. No one does. Why is it such a secret?"

Lyra hesitated for a moment, stunned. And yet, she knew that this moment was going to happen sooner or later. But how could she give her friend, one of the best, an honest answer without revealing who she really was? She would just have to tell him the truth…

"Harry, I – I'm. I'm sorry. But I can't tell you." She said, dejected.

"But why not?" the Potter boy responded persistently.

"Because it would be bad for you, for _everyone_, to know. Please Harry. You know I trust you. Now _please_, trust _me_, for once. You're better off not knowing anyway." She said pleadingly, but muttered the last part. Harry stayed silent for a moment, before nodding slowly, and taking her hands in his.

"I _do _trust you Lyra. And whatever this secret of yours is, I hope that one day, you'll tell me." He said, before leaving her alone by the fire.

As she stared into it, she realized something very important. That she had a brother who would still remain her brother no matter what the cost. And even better, (if that was possible) was the fact that she had friends who were willing to risk detention in order to defend her. And as for one particular friend…well, she would have to see what would happen…but as for him, Lyra, nervous and scare though she was, knew deep down that he would accept her as she was…Malfoy and all…when she was ready to tell him the truth.

She smiled softly and contently, and leaned back in her chair. Perhaps times weren't so bad after all. Now only if they would stay just like this…

**I AM SOOOOOOO SORRY FOR THE LONG WAIT! I promise you, this story will be finished, and I won't abandon it. Thanks for sticking with me!**

**_Anything you recognize is from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire._**

**_Thanks to all who are reading, and liking it. If you have any suggestions, questions, or comments, please feel free to review/private message me. Also, if you have any ideas at all, or would like to see something happen, let me know, and I'll consider putting them into a chapter. Thanks! ~ Leanora_**


	29. Champions, Untrue Articles, and Dragons

**_I unfortunately do not own the world of Harry Potter. That honor belongs to J. K. Rowling._**

**_I would just like to say a quick thanks to Allen Pitt, cullens-little-sis, Princess-Lazy-Chan, Death Eaters rule, SuperxGirlx5894, LupusMalfoy, bookworm182, bellastrange51 and destinysings._**

**_This is my second fan-fic. Hope you like it! (And if you haven't figured out by now, reviews are appreciated!)_**

**_I am writing 5 other fan-fics at this time as well. If you could please check out my profile and check them out, I would greatly appreciate that. Thanks! :)_**

**_Okay, so by now, you all know that Lyra is a Malfoy. Just remember that even though you know, the characters don't._**

**Chapter 29:**

**Champions, Untrue Articles, and Dragons**

The end of October came very quickly. Lyra was still not enjoying her Defense classes at all, but had so far managed not to get upset again. And now that she had talked (well, screamed was more like it) with her brother, and he understood how she felt, (and vice versa), it was a lot better. Though for some reason, Professor Moody seemed to be keeping a very close eye on her, which unnerved Lyra, and whenever he caught her looking, he would glare at her. At first she had put it down to the fact that her father had been (and technically still was) a Death Eater, but now she wasn't so sure.

Halloween came once again, and the Goblet of Fire was brought out. As she stared at it, mesmerized but bored, she couldn't help thinking that something wasn't going to go quite as planned. And she was right.

The three names came out of the Goblet no problem. Cedric Diggory from Hogwarts, Viktor Krum, (on whom she suspected that Hermione had a crush on) from Durmstrange and Fleur Delacour from Beauxbatons. But that's when something went wrong. The Goblet's fire turned red once more, and a fourth piece of parchment flew out.

"Harry Potter," Dumbledore read, and there was not a single noise in the entire Great Hall.

"Harry Potter!" Dumbledore said again, louder. With a little push from Hermione, Harry slowly walked to the door behind the dais. Everyone's eyes were on him, including Lyra's. She had no idea what had happened, but she knew things had just gotten a lot more serious. (Speaking of which, she should probably prompt Harry to write to his godfather as soon as he got back.)

As everyone walked to their respective common rooms, all whispering to each other, Lyra's mind wandered back to what Draco had said a few weeks ago.

_Father's mark is growing darker_

And suddenly, she was sure. Harry's name being put in the Goblet was no mistake. It had something to do with the fact that her Father's Dark mark was growing stronger with each passing day. The only question was, who did this? And just exactly how much danger was Harry in right now? Her head reeled with the thought that Voldemort might somehow not be quite dead after all.

Sucking in her breath, Lyra decided to keep quite about her suspicions, at least for now. Because she knew that adding to her friend's stress and pressure level wouldn't be a good thing. Because he was going to need all the support he could get, since most of the school most likely though that he had entered on his own. And unfortunately, judging by his expression, so did Ron. Which meant that there were going to be a long few months ahead of them.

And boy was she right. Ron, it seemed, was totally opposed to evening listening to what Harry was saying. Meanwhile, Rita Skeeter certainly wasn't helping. She was writing false articles, saying horrible things. Her article that came out about the champions was almost entirely about Harry. She was saying that he was a twelve-year-old boy who sought the attention because he thought his parents might be proud, and who cried himself to sleep. (All this of course, was extremely inaccurate,) but nevertheless, most people at Hogwarts took it to be the truth, (or just something to use for bullying him as her brother had taken to doing more so then ever).

Meanwhile, the first task was quickly approaching, and Harry had yet to find out what he had to do. And between Skeeter's articles, Ron's lack of understanding, and all the attention he was getting, Harry was on his last nerve. And just when things couldn't possibly get any worse, they did…Harry found out what he had to do.

It was late one night when he came back into the common room, under the cloak, and gasped a single word.

"Dragons!"

"What?" she said, sitting up, her eyes wide.

"Dragons. They've got four, one for each of us."

"But – how – how are you supposed to get past them then?" Hermione asked.

"They're incredibly dangerous, and – and "

"Hermione, breath!" Lyra said.

"We'll figure something out." She said as Harry sat down next to her, his head in his hands.

"How? We've got two weeks, and you're only allowed a wand." He said dejectedly.

"And the only thing I'm really good at is flying, but you're not allowed a broom – "

"But you're allowed a wand. Harry that's it!" Lyra said, interrupting him, suddenly excited. Both of her friends looked at her as if she were crazy. Because it was then she remembered a spell her mother used to use all the time. A summoning charm. And if Harry could summon his broom, well, then he would be fine.

"Harry can summon his broom to him, and then get on it, and fly away to distract the dragon, or whatever. Once he's on his broom, he's got the advantage, because that's his home turf, so to speak."

"And that's all very well, except we don't know a summoning spell that we…you know one, don't you?" Hermione said, calming down as she saw her friend's expression.

"Yes, and it's simple enough." She said, taking out her wand, and pointing it at a pillow across from her.

"_Accio_!" she said, flicking her wrist, and immediately the pillow came flying straight towards her. For the first time in a while, Harry smiled.

"This might just work…"

And before the trio knew it, the day of the first task was upon them. Harry had already gone down early in order to listen to whatever last minute things Ludo Bagman and Mr. Crouch had to say.

Lyra was very nervous. She knew the spell would work. She and Hermione had been drilling Harry almost every night. He had made sure to open the window and prop his broom near it in the fourth year boys' dormitory so that it would be slightly easier for it to get to him. But she just hoped that the judges wouldn't realize that Harry had had help in preparing.

As she walked down to the pitch, (Hermione was up ahead somewhere, a nervous wreck as well, saving them seats) she saw a gleam of gold off the top of the champtions' tent, and suddenly, she switched directions, going towards the tent.

As she neared the white tent, she slowed her pace, took a deep breath, and opened the flap, peeking inside. And as she did so, she could feel all the tension and anxiety that was coming from the four competitors. It was Cedric who spotted her first and, recognizing her as one of Harry's friends, and not just some random student, he went over to his classmate, and pointed in her direction. Harry came over, nodding his thanks to the Hufflepuff boy as he went. As he approached her, he gave a weak smile, but Lyra wasn't fooled.

"Hi," he said, confused by her presence.

"Er, what _exactly_ are you doing here Lyra?" he asked.

"I – I don't know, I guess I just had to see you. I – I mean, make sure you're – " she sighed, stopping her awkward stuttering.

"I just had to make sure you were okay." She said quietly.

"Well, I think I'll be better once this whole thing is over."

"I think we'll _all_ be better once this whole thing is over, Harry." She said, and the two chuckled slightly.

"Harry, you'll be fine. I know you will be. You picked up that spell pretty quickly, and once you have your broom, you know exactly what you're doing. We're all rooting for you." She said, blushing at the end.

"Thanks. And you know, it's thanks to you we knew about the spell in the first place. It could have taken us a week or two just to figure out how to deal with the dragon. But because you knew of one already, I had two weeks to prepare."

"Harry, I –" she started to say, but was cut off by a flash going off.

"Oh my! _Two_ admirers? What a story!" a women said, and Lyra's eyes narrowed as she recognized who it was…none other than Rita Skeeter herself. And she was using a horrible Quick Quotes pen – so _that's _where all the false articles had been coming from.

But luckily for them, Professor Dumbledore chose at that moment to enter the tent, followed closely by Mr. Crouch and Mr. Bagman.

"Champions! Circle up! And Ms. Skeeter you can leave now, you'll get your story _outside_." He said, causing the woman to scowl as she left. Harry turned back to face her once more.

"I've got to go – " he started.

"I know. Good luck, Harry. And remember, I'll _always_ be there to help you out." She promised, the red in her cheeks leaving. Her friend nodded, and she left the tent as Harry went to join the circle.

As she made her way up to the stands, she just hoped that she would always be able to keep her promise, but for some reason, at this thought, a pit formed in the bottom of her stomach. She would, wouldn't she?

Her thoughts then drifted to what Rita Skeeter had said. She wasn't an admirer; she was just his friend…right? So why was it that she suddenly felt nervous and seemed to be blushing a lot around him?

As she reached Hermione, she shook her head to clear her head of these thoughts. It must have been all in her imagination.

Though she tried to watch what was going on in the arena below, Lyra found herself preoccupied with various thoughts.

What did the fact that her father's mark was growing stronger mean?

What would her brother think when he read Skeeter's article? (Lyra knew for a fact that there was going to be something in there about her.) Wait a minute…if there was something in there, then…oh no! Skeeter had better not try to find out what her last name was. But if it didn't appear, then she was safe. But if it did…would people accuse _her_ of entering Harry's name, and providing the information for the articles?

She sighed, and suddenly Hermione was nudging her.

"It's Harry's turn!" she whispered, and Lyra's eyes widened. _Already?_

But it was true. As she looked down, she saw her friend emerging. The dragon was already out, though unfortunately, Harry didn't see it until the Horntail's tail whipped out at him. Luckily, Harry ducked just in time, only earning a slight scratch, (so she hoped) to his arm, but unfortunately, he ducked out of sight. Another suspenseful minute passed, but then she heard a faint whizzing sound, and looked up to see his Firebolt flying towards him. When Harry jumped on it, she smiled, and shouted in unison with Hermione a single word.

"YES!"

Harry was now able to swerve and duck with the ease of a natural flier. But of course, things couldn't stay safe. As Harry flew higher in the sky to try and distract the dragon, it worked…and the dragon came unchained from the rocks. Harry now flew towards them, and Lyra was forced to duck as the Hungarian Horntail flew over them, the spikes on its tail ripping the awning and wood above them to pieces.

Moments passed with no result, except for the slight sound of a cry from the dragon.

And then Harry was soaring back into the arena…with no dragon on his tail. Lyra was on her feet in an instant as he flew to and grabbed the golden egg. He had done it!

By the time she reached the medical tent where Madame Pomfrey was healing his wound, she found Ron there. Subconsciously, she stiffened. But as she hung back, allowing him to say whatever it was, she saw the Potter boy's expression. And as changed from one of apprehension to one of joy, she knew that everything was going to be all right. Apparently, all that needed to happen was for Harry to face a dragon to get his friend back. No problem!

Harry saw her waiting by the entrance to the tent, and beckoned her and Hermione inside.

"You were brilliant, Harry!" Hermione said, looking a lot calmer now that Harry was safe. And truth be told, Lyra felt the same way.

"You really did a great job Harry. Congratulations!" Lyra said softly as Harry got out of bed, and surprisingly for her, the two hugged briefly, before all four went outside to see what kind of a score Harry had received.

From Madame Maxime, he received an eight, from both Mr. Crouch and Professor Dumbledore: a nine, from Mr. Bagman: a ten, (at which Lyra's eyes narrowed,) and from Karkaroff: a four. (At this, Lyra's eyes were slits, but she said nothing.) But all the same, she was very proud of her friend. He was now tied for the lead, no less, with Viktor Krum!

After another quick word in the champions' tent, Harry led his friends, golden egg in hand, back to the castle. And that's what they were. Four friends, on a mission to overcome obstacles. And though they may have their fights, they would remain a tight-knit group. So why did that pit in the bottom of her stomach suddenly tighten at this thought?

_Hey! If you would like a preview for the next chapter, let me know!_

**Happy One Year Anniversary to this story! Thank you guys so much!**

**I AM SOOOOOOO SORRY FOR THE LONG WAIT! I promise you, this story will be finished, and I won't abandon it. Thanks for sticking with me!**

**_Anything you recognize is from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire._**

**_Thanks to all who are reading, and liking it. If you have any suggestions, questions, or comments, please feel free to review/private message me. Also, if you have any ideas at all, or would like to see something happen, let me know, and I'll consider putting them into a chapter. Thanks! ~ Leanora_**


	30. The Dance Lesson

**_I unfortunately do not own the world of Harry Potter. That honor belongs to J. K. Rowling._**

**_I would just like to say a quick thanks to Whispering-Lestrange, Death Eaters rule, panneler-san, Kitsune Barra Hime, Princess-Lazy-Chan, Skylan D. Water, _****_PrettyGirl5894_****_, ThatGirlWhoLikesBooks, and Hikari no Hoshi.  
_**

**_This is my second fan-fic. Hope you like it! (And if you haven't figured out by now, reviews are appreciated!)_**

**_I am writing 5 other fan-fics at this time as well. If you could please check out my profile and check them out, I would greatly appreciate that. Thanks! :)_**

***Please remember that even though you know that Lyra is a Malfoy, most of the characters don't.***

**Chapter 30:**

**The Dance Lesson**

Currently, Lyra sat, along with all fourth through seventh year Gryffindor students, in a large, open room. The boys sat one end of the bleachers, and the girls on the other. Across from them, another set of bleachers had yet to be filled. Professor McGonagall was telling them about the Yule Ball, (a dance held on Christmas Eve every time the Triwizard Tournement was happening) and how she expected them all to act appropriately, yada-yada-yada.

"So, we will have a lesson to show you how to dance properly. Unfortunately, we will be having this lesson with – "

The door swung open with a loud _bang_, revealing Professor Snape, and a large group of Slytherins.

"The Slytherins," McGonagall finished, her lips pressed in a thin line, as the Snakes took their seats across from the Lions.

After a moment more of explaining things, the Potions Master interrupted the Transfiguration Professor.

"Perhaps a demonstration pair?" he suggested.

"Draco and Lyra, perhaps?" he said, his voice slippery.

The crowd of students looked at their respective classmates, and murmurs went through the mob.

"Good luck," Hermione whispered to her friend as Lyra stood up.

Upon reaching the center of the floor, the two Malfoys circled each other once, before coming to a complete halt in front of each other. All eyes were on the pair.

"Ready?" McGonagall asked.

Both nodded their consent once, and their teacher signaled to Filch to start the music. The two students took their positions as the first notes drifted from the player. Stiffly at first, masks still in place, the siblings started to move in tie with the music. And after a minute or two, both relaxed into the familiar steps, now completely absorbed in the dance, and tuning out and forgetting about everything and everyone (including their curious and watchful audience of peers) but the dance. After turning his sister for the first time, Draco broke the silence.

"So it looks like Mum's lessons are finally paying off. Brings back memories, doesn't it?" he said.

"Yup! So many _happy_ times," she replied sarcastically.

"You mean to tell me you didn't thoroughly _enjoy_ all those lessons?" Draco teased.

"You mean to tell me you did?" Lyra countered.

"Touché," her brother replied, a grin appearing on his face, (a face which was now void of any coldness).

"That's what I thought," the Malfoy girl said triumphantly, smirking.

"Right. Because who could possibly enjoy having their mother constantly reprimanding and yelling at them for hours on end for years on end?" she continued, a smile taking over her smirk.

"Or their father yelling at them for making too much noise?" Draco finished. Lyra laughed as he twirled her again.

"Or that!"

As the two continued to talk and dance, the entire room watched in shock. _No one_ had _ever_ seen Draco Malfoy smile…_ever!_ Let alone because of some random Gryffindor girl.

And how was it that Lyra seems so happy right now? Dancing with a Slytherin, and not just any Slytherin, but Draco Malfoy of all people?

Still, some had to admit, they looked pretty good together out there.

The music was speeding up, but still the Malfoy twins kept up with it, talking, _remembering_ what life used to be like.

As the song neared the end, Draco switched topics again.

"Jump," he said.

"What?" his sister replied.

"Jump. Now!" Draco said, and hoisted his sister into the air in time with the music. She landed, twirling once, before sticking her right leg out behind her, the bringing it behind her left for a curtsy. Both siblings still had smiles on their faces, their expression still full of laughter as they finished.

Severus Snape cleared his throat loudly, which brought both Malfoys back to reality. As they realized where exactly they were, and whom exactly they were in front of, their expressions and body language changed. Both stiffened. Draco's eyes became cold, his expression full of arrogance once again. Lyra's eyes became a bit distant as she glared at him. Both siblings stiffened, heads held high as they walked past each other to join their respective house-mates.

"Well done, both of you. Thank you Lyra and Draco." Professor McGonagall said.

"You were really good!" Hermione whispered to her as Lyra took her seat, trying hard to ignore all the curious and suspicious looks she was getting, both from her fellow Gryffindors, and from the Slytherins across the room.

"Thanks," she muttered, still trying to catch her breath.

It was then that her head of house ordered everyone else up to try dancing themselves. From across the room, she saw Draco sneak her a small smile, triumph in his eyes, as if to say, _See, we did it!_ Lyra rolled here eyes, but returned the smile, her silver eyes bright.

An hour later, they were all released for dinner. Unfortunately for her, the minute the meal began, so did the questions.

"Where in the world did you learn to dance like that?" was Hermione's first question.

"At home. I grew up in a pure-blood home, where we were taught stuff like this." Lyra said.

"But still! And you danced well with _Malfoy_!" Ron said.

"When you're being forced to learn dances such as that one four hours a day, six days a week, for eight years, you don't soon forget stuff like that. And honestly, I know it was with Draco, but – "

"Oh, so it's _Draco_ now?" Ron retorted, cutting her off. Lyra's eyes were now becoming cold with her friend's accusations.

"Ron, if you had been listening carefully since first year, you would know that I _always_ call him Draco. Never have I called him by his last name. _Why_ do you have a problem with that?" she said, growing angry.

"She's right, Ron. And it's her business as to why, though I'm guessing from everything she's said that they grew up together," Harry said. Lyra simply nodded, grateful that Harry, at least didn't suspect (as much) as his friend.

"But still! You were _laughing_ with him. Having a good time. And the dance was almost _perfect_! You even let him lift you!"

"Ron, enough already! Yes, I was having a good time." She admitted. She realized now that they had revealed quite a lot with that dance.

"But are you saying you rather I be _unhappy_? Snape volunteered us, and we danced. What's the big deal? And yes, I let him lift me so that I wouldn't have a sprained or broken ankle. Happy now?" she finished, now furious with the youngest Weasley boy. She stood up, and, glaring at Ron, exited the Great Hall, head held high. But as soon as she was out of site, she ran, trying not to let the tears she felt come.

Meanwhile, back in the Great Hall, the same discussion was still going on.

"Ron, you need to calm down! She did what she was asked." Hermione said.

"But – "

"Ron, the girls are right. Enough's enough." Harry said, causing Hermione to look at him. After a moment, a bright glint appeared, making him nervous.

"Hermione. I know that look." He said cautiously.

"Harry, it's nothing dangerous this time. Just go and talk to her. See if you can find out anything. _And_ if you can make her feel any better after what Ronald just said."

He nodded.

"Fine. I'll talk to her. But I don't know how much I'm going to get out of her. There are some topics that she seems not to want to talk about." He said, but when Hermione gave him a stern look in return, he got up and started heading back to Gryffindor Tower.

Once he got there, however, he found she was no where in sight. But as Ginny Weasley came into view he grabbed her arm.

"Ginny, do me a favor, will you?" he said.

"Can you see if Lyra's up in the dormitory?" Slowly, she nodded, but when she came back down moments later, she shook her head.

"She wasn't there. Why, what happened?" she asked.

"All the fourth through seventh years in Gryffindor and Slytherin had to be taught how to dance for the Yule Ball. Snape volunteered Lyra and Malfoy to demonstrate."

"So what's the problem there?" she asked, sitting down next to Harry.

"They did a fantastic job. But while they were dancing, both were talking, and laughing."

"Malfoy laughing? I wish I had been there," Ginny said.

"Yeah, I know. It was weird. Then, once we got to dinner, your brother pounced on her with all these questions, and then he started make false accusations of her. So she ran off. Hermione told me to come find her."

"Well, I'll talk some sense into Ron, but I still don't know – " but cut off as the portrait hole swung open and Lyra herself entered, tear tracks on her cheeks.

"Lyra, are you okay?" Harry asked immediately, causing his friend to look up.

"Oh, hi Harry. Hi Ginny. Yeah, I – I'm fine. Thanks," she said, but it was clear that everything wasn't all right.

"Lyra, Ron can be a prat sometimes, but you can't let him get to you." Ginny said, standing up to make room for the older girl. She nodded, but said nothing, simply taking Ginny's place beside Harry as the younger girl left.

"I – I'm sorry I ran out on you guys. I just – I couldn't be around Ron anymore." She apologized.

"Don't worry about it. I understand. But can you tell me if there is anything going on between you and Malfoy?" he asked.

"NO! God no. Harry, I can assure you that we will _never_ be involved in that way." She said, looking disgusted. Harry thought for a moment.

"It's just – you seemed so comfortable with him out there."

"Harry, as you guessed, we _did_ grow up together. Just – trust me when I say he isn't a bad person."

"I'll take your word for it." he replied.

"So where were you if you didn't come straight here after you left?" he asked.

"Nowhere in particular, I just took a longer route to try and sort out my thoughts." She replied simply, but Harry thought he could detect a hint of nervousness in her voice. However, he simply nodded in response.

"Thanks Harry," she said softly after a moment of silence.

"I'll see you later," she said, starting to make her way up to the girls' dormitory. But just as she reached the stairs, Harry called back to her, suddenly very nervous himself.

"Lyra!"

"Yes Harry?"

"Would you like to go to the Ball with me? Just as friends I mean!" he said hurriedly. Lyra's face held a broad smile as she nodded.

"I'd love to!" she replied, before coming back to be closer to him, ecstatic.

"Really?" he asked, shocked that she had agreed.

She nodded, blushing a bit.

"Really," she said, before surprising him as she gave him a quick hug.

"Thank you, Harry. For everything." She said, before turning once more, and this time, she completed her journey to her dormitory.

Once inside, she did something she _never_ did – she squealed like a little girl. Harry asked her to the ball!

Maybe today hadn't been such a bad day after all.

_Hey all! I've just joined the group Fanfictioners Against World Hunger. If you could all please go to freerice dot com, and earn some rice for my stories, (and then tell me how much you earned) that would be fantastic! Also, if you're interested in joining the group, or want more information, feel free to contact me or the founder of the group, Gryffindor777. Thanks again everyone!_

**_Anything you recognize is from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire._**

**_Thanks to all who are reading, and liking it. If you have any suggestions, questions, or comments, please feel free to review/private message me. Also, if you have any ideas at all, or would like to see something happen, let me know, and I'll consider putting them into a chapter. Thanks! ~ Leanora_**


	31. The Yule Ball

**_I unfortunately do not own the world of Harry Potter. That honor belongs to J. K. Rowling._**

**_I would just like to say a quick thanks to Sam-EvansBlue, degrasiforever, Allen Pitt, Whispering-Lestrange, PrettyGirl5894, freerice, Blackluvah, Princess-Lazy-Chan, tmjay10, YukiKyo, Macey247, xXMizz Alec VolturiXx, and Ale Ginger._**

**_This is my second fan-fic. Hope you like it! (And if you haven't figured out by now, reviews are appreciated!)_**

**_I am writing 5 other fan-fics at this time as well. If you could please check out my profile and check them out, I would greatly appreciate that. Thanks! :)_**

***Please remember that even though you know that Lyra is a Malfoy, most of the characters don't.***

**Chapter 31:**

**The Yule Ball**

The day of the Yule Ball came very quickly. And the closer it got, the more nervous and exited Lyra got. At five o'clock, Hermione and Lyra made their way up to their dormitory to start getting ready.

After taking a quick shower, she went over to sit beside Hermione, the two worked on each other's hair. Lyra chose to pin each side up with a small pearl barrette, and twisted the ends together into one long strand. She then she curled the rest of it, so that it hung down in elegant ringlets to reach the middle of her back.

Applying some basic make-up, she glanced at the clock, and realized that the time really had flown. It was 7:45 p.m. - time to don their dresses, and meet the boys.

She had chosen a black spaghetti-strapped dress. It had one white triangle by her left breast the went into a point, and then another one started a few feet below it, going out to the bottom of the dress. All along, starting right before the top of the second triangle, to mid-way, there was black beading on the right side. The black made her pale skin stand out more than usual. On her feet she wore small black snakeskin heals. She added a silver necklace, which from the basic chain, hung many little crystal droplets. Taking a deep breath, she emerged from the girls dormitory and slowly made her way to meet Harry.

"Hi," she said quietly as she reached the group of anxious boys.

"Hi. You - er - look nice," he said awkwardly.

Lyra blushed slightly.

"Thanks. Ron, who are you going with?" she asked her other friend.

"Pavarti Patil," he replied sulkily, and she tried not to laugh at his dress robes.

"We'll see you later, Ron." Harry said, and the two made their way to the entrance of the Great Hall.

"You _do _know that we have to start off the dancing, right? Though after seeing you dance with Malfoy, that shouldn't be a problem," Harry said nervously. Lyra chuckled.

"It's fine, Harry. Just follow my lead," she replied.

And then the doors opened, and they were walking in.

"Harry, relax. Just put your arm around my waist and start by stepping forward." she said, surprisingly calm as they took their places.

Soon, everyone joined in the dancing, and (much to her disappointment) the minute he could, Harry dragged her to a table. Ron soon joined them with a sour (but beautiful) looking Pavarti. (Who soon left them to go dance with someone else.)

Hermione made her appearance soon enough, and both boys were very surprisedto see her dressed so elegantly. Lyra couldn't help but smirk at Ron's expression. Though of course, the fact that she was going with Krum made him jealous, and he insisted on starting a fight with Hermione, accusing her of helping him with the egg and such.

"Look, I'm going to go get some fresh air. I'll see you later," she said, getting up, and leaving the bickering pair (and Harry) to themselves.

As she wandered around, she couldn't help but think about all that had transpired over the past four years.

"Would the pretty girl care to dance?" a voice said from behind her, and she spun around to find her brother leaning against the wall, smirking.

"Yes. But if we get caught, it's _your_ fault," she replied.

"Of course it'll be," he muttered.

But this time was different. THis time, instead of full out dancing, they sort of just swayed, and moved around in a circle. Lyra leaned into her brother, happy.

"You look nice tonight," he said.

"Thanks. You don't look half bad yourself." she replied.

"Thanks," he replied sarcastically, and the two lapsed into a bout of silence.

"I miss this," Lyra said finally.

"What? Dance lessons?" Draco asked.

"No. But, just, being able to hang out with you all the time. Doing stuff together. Fun stuff."

"You mean, all the stuff that Father yells at us for?"

"Yeah, that," she replied, laughing. Draco sighed.

"I guess I miss this too." he said, and his sister smiled, hugging him tighter.

"But honestly, when are you going to stop acting like a total jerk?" she asked.

"Way to ruin the moment, Lei," he said.

"And I'm not acting like a total jerk."

"Well, maybe not to _me_ you're not. But to my friends, you are," she responded.

"Because I don't like them. And the don't like me. And besides, you're forgetting the fact that dad always told us-"

"-that you always have to be the best, and never let anyone push you around, yada yada yada, I know." she said, interrupting him.

"Can you at least try not to be a _total_ jerk from now on?" she asked.

"Fine. I'll try not to be a _complete_ jerk to your friends." he said, giving in.

"Thanks. So, I - "

"Draco? Drakey, where are you?" an annoying voice said, coming from the direction of the Great Hall. Draco groaned, but Lyra simply smirked.

"Good luck," she said, disappearing up the steps and out of sight.

Sighing, she slowly made her way back to Gryffindor Tower. Tonight hadn't gone at all like she had thought it would...but it had been nice all the same. A small smile graced her face, but it soon fell. Now if only she could get Ron to stop acting like a complete jerk as well, then everything would be okay. She sighed again. For that to happen, they would need a miracle.

**_This isn't exactly how I planned this chapter, but this is how it ended up. Hope you like it!_**

_Hey all! I've just joined the group Fanfictioners Against World Hunger. If you could all please go to freerice dot com, and earn some rice for my stories, (and then tell me how much you earned) that would be fantastic! Also, if you're interested in joining the group, or want more information, feel free to contact me or the founder of the group, Gryffindor777. Thanks again everyone!_

**_Anything you recognize is from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire._**

**_Thanks to all who are reading, and liking it. If you have any suggestions, questions, or comments, please feel free to review/private message me. Also, if you have any ideas at all, or would like to see something happen, let me know, and I'll consider putting them into a chapter. Thanks! ~ Leanora_**


	32. Flashback to Ferret Day

**_I unfortunately do not own the world of Harry Potter. That honor belongs to J. K. Rowling._**

**_I would just like to say a quick thanks to x Dark Lady x, guildam595, Whispering-Lestrange, Allen Pitt, _****_panneler-san, JeannaMaria7, HeartlessVampireGirl, AngelofNightandDarkness, angelvan105, karebear9593, and WIP-Writer In Progress.  
_**

**_This is my second fan-fic. Hope you like it! (And if you haven't figured out by now, reviews are appreciated!)_**

**_I am writing 5 other fan-fics at this time as well. If you could please check out my profile and check them out, I would greatly appreciate that. Thanks! :)_**

***Please remember that even though you know that Lyra is a Malfoy, most of the characters don't.***

**Chapter 32:**

**Flashback to Ferret Day**

"Lyra, is everything alright?" Hermione Granger asked. Lyra looked up, startled, before nodding slowly.

"I'm fine, Hermione. I've just got a lot on my mind," she replied. The girl just looked at her suspiciously for a moment, before leaning back over her homework.

Lyra sighed. It seemed as if every other day, she was being asked if she was okay. She remembered the first time of the year very clearly.

_Lyra was walking with her friends, who were complaining about the amount of homework, (or lack thereof in Hermione's case) they had when a sudden cold voice behind them caused the four to stop in their tracks._

_"Weasley! Hey, Weasley!"_

_They turned to find Draco coming towards them, Crabbe and Goyle flanking him on either side._

_"What?" said Ron shortly, and Lyra just groaned inwardly._

_"Your dad's in the paper, Weasley!" said Malfoy, brandishing a copy of the Daily Prophet and speaking very loudly, so that everyone in the packed entrance hall could hear. "Listen to this!"_

_FURTHER MISTAKES AT THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC_

_It seems as though the Ministry of Magic's troubles are not yet at an end, writes Rita Skeeter, Special Correspondent. Recently under fire for its poor crowd control at the Quidditch World Cup, and still unable to account for the disappearance of one of its witches, the Ministry was plunged into fresh embarrassment yesterday by the antics of Arnold Weasley, __of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office."_

_Malfoy looked up._

_"Imagine them not even getting his name right, Weasley. It's almost as though he's a complete nonentity, isn't it?" he crowed. Everyone in the entrance hall was listening now. But Draco went to straighten out the paper, smirk taking up his face, Lyra stepped forward, blood boiling. How could her brother be this mean?_

_"Shut up, Draco!" she said, surprising everyone._

_"Mr. Weasley is very well liked, and a much better person than you are." She said, her voice cold, which only added to her brother's surprise._

_"C'mon, let's go," she said, glaring at her brother, before starting to lead her friends away. But apparently, Draco hadn't learned his lesson._

_"And there's a picture, Weasley!" he said, his tone more arrogant than ever, flipping the paper over and holding it up. "A picture of your parents outside their house - if you can call it a house! Your mother could do with losing a bit of weight, couldn't she?"_

_Lyra's fists clenched, and she gritted her teeth. From the corner of her eye, she saw her friends turn again._

_Ron was shaking with fury. Everyone was staring at him._

_"Get stuffed, Malfoy," said Harry. "C'mon, Ron…"_

_"Oh yeah, you were staying with them this summer, weren't you, Potter?" sneered Malfoy. "So tell me, is his mother really that porky, or is it just the picture?"_

_"You know your mother, Malfoy?" said Harry - both he and Hermione had grabbed the back of Ron's robes to stop him from launching himself at Malfoy (Lyra was too busy breathing in and out, trying to resist the urge to punch her brother…or worse), but she tensed as Harry said this – _

_"that expression she's got, like she's got dung under her nose? Has she always looked like that, or was it just because you were with her?"_

_Though some laughed, she didn't. Because she knew that as much as she wanted to hurt her brother right now, he could be an okay guy when he wanted to be._

_Malfoy's pale face went slightly pink._

_"Don't you dare insult my mother, Potter."_

_Oh boy, here we go again._

_"Keep your fat mouth shut, then," said Harry, turning away._

_BANG!_

_And from the corner of her eye, she saw something white graze the side of Harry's ear. Her rage doubled, but before she could do anything, a voice rang out._

_"OH NO YOU DON'T, LADDIE!" Moody roared, and Lyra spun around to see what he had done. She gasped in shock. Because where Draco had stood, there was now a pure white ferret in his place. Her eyes widened, and she just stared, unsure of what to do._

_Meanwhile, Moody, after making sure that Harry was okay, proceeded to levitate him. It flew ten feet into the air, fell with a smack to the floor, and then bounced upward once more._

_"I don't like people who attack when their opponent's back's turned," growled Moody as the ferret bounced higher and higher, squealing in pain._

_Lyra closed her eyes and turned away, a drawn expression on her face. As angry as she was at him right now – he didn't deserve this. The pain and humiliation of this. She winced as he squealed again._

_"Hello, Professor McGonagall," said Moody suddenly, causing Lyra to open her eyes, only to find that her head of house had indeed arrived. (And she also noticed that a few people were staring at her.)_

_"What - what are you doing?" said Professor McGonagall, her eyes following the bouncing ferret's progress through the air._

_"Teaching," said Moody._

_"Teach - Moody, is that a student?" shrieked Professor McGonagall, the books spilling out of her arms._

_"Yep," said Moody._

_"No!" cried Professor McGonagall, running down the stairs and pulling out her wand; a moment later, with a loud snapping noise, Draco Malfoy had reappeared, lying in a heap on the floor with his sleek blond hair all over his now brilliantly pink face. He got to his feet, wincing. (And Lyra closed her eyes again at the sight. It was just too much – especially as he looked at her.)_

_"Moody, we never use Transfiguration as a punishment!" said Professor McGonagall weakly. "Surely Professor Dumbledore told you that?"_

_"He might've mentioned it, yeah," said Moody, scratching his chin unconcernedly, "but I thought a good sharp shock -"_

_"We give detentions, Moody! Or speak to the offender's Head of House!"_

_"I'll do that, then," said Moody, staring at Malfoy with great dislike._

_Malfoy, whose pale eyes were still watering with pain and humiliation, looked malevolently up at Moody and muttered something in which the words "my father" were distinguishable._

_"Oh yeah?" said Moody quietly, limping forward a few steps, the dull clunk of his wooden leg echoing around the hall. "Well, I know your father of old, boy… You tell him Moody's keeping a close eye on his son… you tell him that from me… Now, your Head of House'll be Snape, will it?"_

_"Yes," said Malfoy resentfully._

_"Another old friend," growled Moody. "I've been looking forward to a chat with old Snape… Come on, you…"_

_And he seized Malfoy's upper arm and marched him off toward the dungeons._

_"Hey, are – are you okay?" Harry asked his friend, noticing how pale she had gotten. She gulped, before nodding, obviously shaken by what had just occurred._

_"Yes Harry, I – I'll be fine. I – I'll see you later. Ther – there's something I have to do," she said, trying not to cry, before rushing up the corridor, and down a few back ones until she reached Professor Snape's office. She waited until she heard the door close, before knocking herself. A minute later he opened the door, and, though she might have imagined it, she could have sworn she saw his expression soften just slightly._

_"Lyra. Come in." eh said, leading her into his office, where she saw her brother, head in his hands…blood coming from various scratches, and bruises starting to form._

_"What do you want?" he asked, almost cruelly, to her. _

_"To make sure that you were alright – and to help if you weren't." she said._

_"You could have done something." He said to her._

_"You could have stopped him."_

_"No, Draco, I couldn't. He wouldn't have listened to me, and you know it."_

_"I know," he said softly after a moment._

_"I'm sorry, Draco. I really am. It was hard watching, but not being able to do anything." She said, taking a seat next to him. She put her hand on top of his, and he looked up._

_Lyra's hand immediately went to trace the wound he had by his hair line. But Draco stopped her, grabbing her wrist tightly, causing her to wince._

_"I'm fine," he said, but Lyra knew that he was lying for her benefit._

_"You would be if you had just left them alone! Why do you always feel the urge to torment them?"_

_"Because I can. And because they're lower than us – "_

_"They're lower then _us_? Might I remind you, Draco? _I_ am a Gryffindor, and I am considered a blood-traitor already by our _dear_ Father. So excuse me for not seeing things the same way as you!" she said, furious, standing up and looking down at her brother._

_"Look Lyra, I will _not_ stop making fun of them just because you ask me to. They may be your friends, but they sure as hell aren't mine. Just accept it already, and move on!" Draco said rising to his feet as well._

_"What! Accept the fact that you'd rather do Father's bidding then be nice to your sister! Fine. If that's the way you want it! I guess I mean a lot less to you than I thought," she retaliated, though the last part was said in a voice just above a whisper._

_Turning, her hand was on the door before he spoke._

_"That's not what I meant," he said quietly, before striding over to her, wincing as he went, and grabbed her wrist, causing her to face him._

_"You know I care about you. But you also know that the chances of me becoming friends with any of the people you're friends with is about as likely as Potter staying out of trouble," he said, causing Lyra to chuckle softly._

_"But, the sad part is, as much as it must have hurt you, and as much as it hurt me to see you in pain like that, looking back, it was pretty funny to see you as a ferret." Lyra said, laughing. Her brother groaned._

_"You're never going to let me live that down, are you?"_

_"Not a chance," she replied, before growing serious. Stepping forward, she wrapped her arms around him, while talking quietly._

_"But I do wish you would stop bullying them so much. Draco - when you hurt them, you hurt me too," Lyra confessed, and the Malfoy boy just looked at his sister – she had always been the more vulnerable and emotional of the two of them. But – to hear that his words, not even intended for her – hurt her…well, that made him feel almost guilty about bullying her friends – almost._

_"I'm sorry. I don't mean to hurt you. But that doesn't mean I'm going to stop."_

_"I – I guess I understand. Sort of. You want to be so much like Father – and one way you do so if bullying those whom are supposedly below you." She said._

_Draco sighed just as the clock chimed three, startling both Malfoys, and making them realize just how long both of them had been missing._

_"Feel better, Draco." Lyra said quietly, before leaving the room with a sad half-smile._

Lyra sighed as she remembered that day. It had held so much emotion, and she remembered having so many different feelings that day, it was hard to tell what she _wasn't_ feeling.

She shook her head to clear her head.

I'll see you later, Hermione," she said, grabbing her books. There was something she wanted to ask Harry.

"Harry?" she said, after finally finding him looking out over the landscape.

"Hi Lyra," he replied upon seeing his friend approach.

"Can I ask you something?" he nodded in response to her question.

"How do you always manage to stay so calm when my-alfoy starts taunting you?" she asked, quickly trying to cover up her mistake. He sighed.

"I guess I can stay calm for two reasons. First, I know that I need to be there to hold Ron back, who has a worse control of his temper than I do. And secondly, I've been taunted all my life by my relatives. So it's nothing new." He said, and Lyra felt a surge of sympathy for her friend.

"I'm sorry." She said.

"Don't be. It's not _your_ fault that I'm stuck living with them," he said, causing her to grimace.

"Thanks." She said, before turning to go.

"Lyra!" her friend uttered, calling her back.

"Why do I get the impression that you're hiding something from us?" he asked, coming to stand at her side. The Malfoy girl sucked in her breath before responding.

"Because there is, Harry. But trust me, it's not good news, which is why I'm not going to tell. Because you'll probably hate me for it, anyway." She said, though the last part was a whisper.

"I could never hate you Lyra." He said, putting a hand on her shoulder, but she just shrugged him off, and starting walking back towards the castle, ignoring his calls to her.

Because unfortunately, though she desperately wanted to believe his words, she couldn't. Because she had a funny feeling that one day, he just might go back on that unspoken promise.

**_I AM SOOOOOOO SORRY I DIDN'T UPDATE SOONER! (But my computer had a major problem with it, so therefore I couldn't get to the documents where I have some of these chapters saved on.) THANK YOU FOR UNDERSTANDING!_**

_Hey all! I've joined the group Fanfictioners Against World Hunger. If you could all please go to freerice dot com, and earn some rice for my stories, (and then tell me how much you earned) that would be fantastic! Also, if you're interested in joining the group, or want more information, feel free to contact me or the founder of the group, Gryffindor777. Thanks again everyone!_

**_Anything you recognize is from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire._**

**_Thanks to all who are reading, and liking it. If you have any suggestions, questions, or comments, please feel free to review/private message me. Also, if you have any ideas at all, or would like to see something happen, let me know, and I'll consider putting them into a chapter. Thanks! ~ Leanora_**


	33. Dobby and Hydrophobia

**_I unfortunately do not own the world of Harry Potter. That honor belongs to J. K. Rowling._**

**_I would just like to say a quick thanks to x Dark Lady x, Skylan D. Water, Allen Pitt, panneler-san, iluvparker, Jazzie123, destinysings, kaikuduo, mycatisevil, _****_Ice. Queen345_**, Cullendaughter45, Shang Princess, xXxDark-LifexXx, Tomboys-live-4ever, Alex274, James018, Midnighter 13, aoife525, and lolbuddy.  


**_This is my second fan-fic. Hope you like it! (And if you haven't figured out by now, reviews are appreciated!)_**

**_I am writing 5 other fan-fics at this time as well. If you could please check out my profile and check them out, I would greatly appreciate that. Thanks! :)_**

***Please remember that even though you know that Lyra is a Malfoy, most of the characters don't.***

**Chapter 33:**

**Dobby, and Hydrophobia**

As it grew just a bit warmer out, so too did the Second Task grow closer day by day.

Currently, three of them were sitting in a secluded corner of the common room.

"…so what can help me breath underwater?" Harry asked, after finishing explaining the clue from the golden egg.

"Hey Lyra, got anything ready this time?" Ron asked, but she just frowned.

"Unfortunately, no," she replied. But for some reason, there was this nagging in the back of her brain that she did indeed know something that could help her friend…now just what it was she wasn't sure.

"Harry! You have to come with me, now! I have to show you something!" Hermione said, rushing into the common room and dragging their friend to his feet. Ron and Lyra following, she led them excitedly down towards the kitchens.

"Hermione, not this again!" Ron complained.

"Ron, just let it go," she said softly and in turn she received an odd look from her red-haired friend.

From the start, Lyra fully supported Hermione's decision to help the house elves. She had been a first-hand witness to the cruel way that they were treated. Lucius had forbade her from helping the house elves, and they had paid the consequences. Lyra clearly remembered being frightened of her father when she was younger – part of the reason that her views differed. Between Lucius and Draco always encouraging her to stay away, she didn't do much to help the creatures…something she had come to regret.

The girl was stirred from her thoughts when she crashed right into Harry.

"Sorry!" she said, but her eyes widened in shock as she took in where they were. The four Gryffindors were in the kitchen. And hugging Harry around his waist was…Dobby.

Lyra felt a bout of guilt creep up inside of her, and she turned away, not wanting to look at the scene.

So Dobby was here now…and very happy. She sighed. As much as she wanted him to be happy, free, and well cared for, she still kind of missed the little guy. Especially after…especially after…!

_being engulfed…ice cold water…fear…lack of air…sinking…darkness… _

"Lyra, ar – "

"Hermione, I'll see you later. I think I might have just solved Harry's problem!" she said, cutting her friend off as she came out of her whirlpool of memories.

"Oh, okay," the other girl responded, surprised. Lyra nodded, and left, but not before shaking her head at her old house elf, begging him silently to keep quiet.

Once out of the kitchens, she ran once more towards the dungeons, stopping only a corner's turn from them to disillusion herself. Taking a deep breath, she rounded the corner, and continued until she reached the entrance to the Slytherin Common Room. She sighed. _He must be inside_. She deduced.

Luckily enough for her, a Slytherin, a first or second year by the looks of it, came out only minutes later, and before the entrance could close again, she crept inside, only to stop short at the sight that met her.

The Slytherin common room was a long, low underground room with rough stone walls and ceiling from which round, greenish lamps were hanging on chains. A fire was crackling under an elaborately carved mantelpiece ahead of them, and several Slytherins were silhouetted around it in high-backed chairs.

Looking around, she sighed quietly. Her brother wasn't here. So that meant that he was either in his dormitory room, or not here at all. Slowly, silently, she "slithered" to the entrance to the dormitories, and started making her way towards the fourth year boys'.

Coming to a stop, she listened hard. There was complete silence. Taking a deep breath, she slowly opened the door and peered inside.

Draco was sitting on his bed, silent, looking in the opposite direction, obviously lost in thought. Lyra paused…it was rare that he ever looked so serious. What was it that had him so troubled?

Looking carefully around and luckily not seeing anyone else, she quietly crept into the room, and over to his bed. Whispering the spell that would reveal her, she tapped him on the back.

He looked at her, startled, before just staring at her, unable to comprehend that his sister – his _Gryffindor_ sister – was here, in his _Slytherin_ dormitory room.

"Lyra, what? I – What are you doing here?" he asked, turning to face his sister, now sitting on the edge of his bed.

"How – how did you even get in here?"

"I came in when a younger kid came out, and then snuck down here to your dormitory. I disillusioned myself so that no one would see me." She explained. Draco just nodded, still apparently stunned at the sight of his sister in Slytherin quarters.

"Draco, do you know what they used on me after – after, "she gulped, before continuing, "– after the water incident?" she finished quietly.

Her brother just stared at her before sighing, and patting the spot next to him on the bed. She quickly closed the curtain around them, before sitting, head down, suddenly scared as she remembered that day. Draco cast a bubble spell around them, so that no one else could hear what they were saying.

"I remember the incident very clearly. I remember what happened directly after, though I was too young to know what they were using. But…well, I'll see if I can deduce it." He said, his voice solemn as he spoke. The Malfoy twins were both transported back to that fateful day.

_They were nine. It was a nice fall day. The leaves were just starting to change color and fall to the ground. Lyra was twirling around in circles, happy, breathing in the fresh air, laughing gaily. Draco was watching her, smiling._

_"Raia, I'll be right back!" he called, before running back in the house. _

_Not watching what she was doing, Lyra slowly moved as she twirled, leaves falling around her. Suddenly, she tripped, and fell backward. As she attempted to get up, her ankle gave way, and she only just stifled a scream._

_Slowly, she backed up, using her hands to pull her forward. But just as she was on her third movement backward, she fell, plunging into the lake that lay behind her house._

_She screamed, before the cold water engulfed her, cutting of her air supply. Thrashing about, she tried to swim to the surface, but it was useless. She was being dragged down. She attempted to push off of something, but pain shot up her leg as she her foot connected with rock. Then the same rock connected with the side of her head, causing her mind to swim._

_Meanwhile, even before he heard his sister scream, he knew something was wrong. So the minute he did so, he bolted out of the house just in time to see her arm disappearing into the lake._

_NO!_ _he thought, before racing towards the lake, frantic. Hurriedly stripping off his coat and shoes, he was about to dive in when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up, surprised to see his father, and even more surprised to see that Lucius' expression held no panic or worry. _

_Almost lazily, Lucius used the magic to part the water, allowing for Draco to bend down and pick up his sister. He was stopped again, however, by his father, who levitated his only daughter. Draco hurried inside after his father, where he was greeted with an anxious Narcissa, who gestured for Lucius to lay Lyra on the low cot she had summoned._

_Tilting Lyra's head to the side, water starting to trickle out of her mouth. She coughed, and her eyes fluttered._

_"Dr – dr – co," she stuttered feebly, and Draco moved closer to his sister. Lucius just stared on for a moment, before leaving the room._

_"Dobby!" Narcissa called. The house elf appeared, clearly frightened._

_"Help her," she commanded, but her voice lacked its usual authoritativeness. The little creature nodded quietly, and began waving his hands and snapping his figures together._

_"Draco, can you bring her upstairs?" his mother asked him as Dobby stuffed something into her daughter's mouth. He nodded sullenly, before picking up his sister gently in his arms, surprised at how light she was._

_When he reached her room, the blond boy kicked open the door, and entered the room, crossing to the bed and carefully laying his sister down upon it. He then dragged a chair next to it, and just stared at her, taking her hand in his._

_A loud CRACK startled him, and he turned to see Dobby, shaking next to him._

_"I – I'm to give ma – Master this for m- Miss Lyra, si – sirs," the little creature said. Draco nodded, snatching the vile from the house elf._

_Slowly, Draco propped his sister up, and tipped the contents of the vile into her mouth, before laying her back down. She lay still for a moment, before her body shook, and she coughed._

_"Dr –Draco?" she muttered._

_"Yeah, it's me," was all he could reply, relieved that she was awake and was going to be safe. That everything would be alight._

"That's why I was so – scared last year," he said.

"Because I thought once again that I had lost you," he finished, looking his twin in the eye.

"I – I'm sorry," she said quietly, leaning her head against him.

"So…what _do_ you think it was that kept me alive all this time? All I know is that either a spell was placed on me, or I was given something that prevented water from ever being able to suffocate and/or drown me again." Lyra said, trying to break the tension.

"Lyra, I don't think it was just a water preventative – I think it was a life preventative – and I think that it was that treatment that prevented you from dying last year." Draco said, now deep in thought.

"Like a variation of the impervious spell," Lyra said, and Draco just looked at her, realization dawning on him. He quickly opened his trunk, and rummaged through it, clearing away the stuff until he reached a secret compartment in the bottom of it. Pulling a vial from it, he held it up to her.

"Aguim-antperhai," she read.

"It was a just in case, and I have the ingredients to make more with me," her brother said.

"Thank you," she replied, getting to her feet as well, and wrapping her arms around him, once more surprising him.

"I – I – "

"Shh!" Lyra said, interrupting her brother.

Both twins' eyes widened as they heard someone enter the room. Both stood perfectly still, not daring to move. But then Draco did. He hugged her close to him, this time surprising both himself and her. Slowly, he turned, so that if someone were to open the curtain, all they would see at first was his back. Then, silently, he took out his wand, and pointed it at Lyra, muttering a spell very quietly – making her invisible to everyone once again…everyone, that was, except for him.

"I never want anything like that to happen again. Which is why you need to sneak out right now." He whispered, and she nodded. But just as she was about to pull away, he spoke again, and this time, there was not an ounce of coldness within his voice.

"And remember…whatever father says…I will always take care of you and I - …I _do_ love you." He finished, and this time, Lyra had tears in her eyes as she looked up at him.

He _never_ confessed things like this. But it was moments like this when she was sure that no matter how hard he tried, Draco would _never_ fully be like Lucius.

Hurrying back to the Common Room, she quickly made herself visible as she entered.

"Lyra! Hey…are you okay? You're crying," Harry said, drawing the other's attention as well. She just nodded, but Harry didn't look convinced, considering he moved closer to her.

"Yeah…I'm fine, thanks. And I think you will be too," she said, holding up the vile.

"Take this before you go into the wa – the…the – "

"the lake?" Ron supplied. She just nodded, as fear shook through her as the realization of what Harry would have to do came to her full force. Taking a deep breath, she placed a carefully practiced mask of calm upon her face.

"I – I'll see you later. Good luck tomorrow Harry," she said, and left for the girls' dormitory, leaving three very confused friends behind.

The following afternoon, watching Harry go head first into the Great Lake was, as of right now, one of the hardest things she had had to do. To allow her friend to go somewhere she feared.

Just looking at the lake herself brought the whole memory of that incident rushing back to her all over again. It was as if she was under the cold, churning water all over again.

"Holding up alright?" a familiar voice whispered in her voice.

"Ye – yeah," she stuttered.

"You sure?"

"No," Lyra responded, pale, before turning around and rushing past her brother and through the crowd, not stopping until she reached the safety of the Gryffindor Common Room…where she allowed tears to come freely.

And that's exactly how her friends found her an hour and a half later.

"I'm sorry, Harry. But I couldn't stay." She apologized, sensing the Potter boy's presence.

"Well, I suppose I should be thanking you once again, actually. Whatever was in the vial…it worked." He said. When she didn't respond, he came around the chair to face her, and knelt down so that he was eye level with her.

"Lyra, I know you're hiding things from us. About your past, and about your family. I can understand that you might want to keep some things a secret, but there's so much about you that's a mystery…well, would you at least tell me _why_ you ran?"

"Because when I was little, I fell into a lake behind my house. The water suffocated me, pulled me down, and I almost drowned. I haven't been able to stand to be by large bodies of water ever since." She explained quietly. Harry just nodded.

"Thank you," he replied, just as quietly, straightening up, and helping her to her feet as well.

"I'm sorry for being so mysterious. But trust me, it's better…for everyone." She said, before brushing past him, and out of the Common Room.

Life was complicated. And right now, Lyra was not very happy with the way it was turning out. Not one bit.

Little did she know that in a few months, she would be wishing that her life was this simple.

**_Hey all. I've put up (yet another) poll, though the action I probably won't be taking for some time. If you could just give me your opinion, that would be greatly appreciated! Thanks all!_**

_Hey all! I'm a member of Fanfictioners Against World Hunger. If you could please go to freerice dot com, and earn some rice for my stories, (and then tell me how much you earned) that would be fantastic! Also, if you're interested in joining the group, or want more information, feel free to contact me or "our go to people of the group", Loonynameless or echoing noise. Thanks again everyone!_

**_Anything you recognize is from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire._**

**_Thanks to all who are reading, and liking it. If you have any suggestions, questions, or comments, please feel free to review/private message me. Also, if you have any ideas at all, or would like to see something happen, let me know, and I'll consider putting them into a chapter. Thanks! ~ Leanora_**


	34. Some Sirius Pondering

**_I unfortunately do not own the world of Harry Potter. That honor belongs to J. K. Rowling._**

**_I would just like to say a quick thanks to FluffyDuffa, Skylan D. Water, LuaLadyoftheMoon, Cullendaughter45, Randomly. Insanely. Purple, obsession-iz-a-good-thing, gerardsgrl14, lily lupin1, _**_**Sailor Girl3, and lunathevamp.**_

**_This is my second fan-fic. Hope you like it! (And if you haven't figured out by now, reviews are appreciated!)_**

**_I am writing 5 other fan-fics at this time as well. If you could please check out my profile and check them out, I would greatly appreciate that. Thanks! :)_**

***Please remember that even though you know that Lyra is a Malfoy, most of the characters don't.***

**Chapter 34:**

**Some Sirius Pondering**

_Sirius – _

_How are you? Hope everything is going alright by you._

_Do you remember Lyra? (She was the girl who kept talking about her family when we were in the Shrieking Shack.)_

_Well, she's always been secretive, but lately, it seems that she's been hiding more than usual…or I've just been more aware of it._

_We don't know anything about her…not even her last name. And every time I ask her about it, she just says that it's for the best that no one knows. Even Moody's been acting weird around her._

_I'm worried about her, but whenever I confront her, she just closes up and gets very quiet. Any advice Sirius?_

_– Harry_

_Harry –_

_I'm fine._

_Be at stile at end of road out of Hogsmeade (past Dervish and Banges) at two o'clock on Saturday afternoon. Bring as much food as you can._

_I will talk to you, Hermione, and Ron and then to Lyra separately and see if I can find out anything. Otherwise, keep your guard up – you never know what's going on, but something's not right at Hogwarts._

Harry sighed, reading over his letter.

There was just so much he didn't know! And about one of his closest friends no less! It bothered him that she was so secretive…that she believed they would all be better off not knowing who she was. He just hoped that Sirius might have more success with figuring out who was than he had…

And that's how the four Gryffindors found themselves face to face with a thin black dog Saturday afternoon.

"Hello, Sirius," said Harry when they had reached him.

The black dog sniffed Harry's bag eagerly, wagged its tail once, causing Lyra to smile and laugh as Sirius turned and began to trot away from them across the scrubby patch of ground that rose to meet the rocky foot of the mountain. Without being told twice, the four Gryffindor students followed.

After a forty minute journey over a mountain (and through the woods) they finally came to rest in a dimly lit cave. Tethered at the end of it, one end of his rope around a large rock, was Buckbeak the hippogriff. Half gray horse, half giant eagle, Buckbeak's fierce orange eye flashed at the sight of them. All four of them bowed low to him, and after regarding them imperiously for a moment, Buckbeak bent his scaly front knees.

As Sirius transformed back into a human, she tried to catch her breath, leaning up against the wall. As stared up towards the ceiling, she was oblivious to the looks that godfather and godson were sharing.

"Lyra, may I talk to you for a moment? Privately?" Sirius asked suddenly, bringing her back to the present. Puzzled, she nodded, and followed her relative out of the cave and around to a hidden alcove.

"Harry's concerned about you…I'm sure you know that by now though," he began.

"Of course, we're friends," she replied easily, not sure where he was taking this.

"I mean, he's concerned with the lack of information he knows about you…that _anyone_ at Hogwarts knows about you," Black clarified, and she looked down at her feet, suddenly uncomfortable.

"You seem to think that it's in their best interest that they don't know about you…but is it really in theirs or yours?" he asked when she didn't respond.

"I – I guess both. I – Sirius, as much as I hate to admit this aloud, I – I'm afraid," she said quietly, causing Black to raise his eyebrows at her statement – the one thing he wasn't expecting.

"Afraid? Of what?"

"Of their reactions and the consequences if anyone…especially the three in the cave…if they knew the truth…about who I am and about my past," she whispered.

"But _why_? Don't you trust them?"

"Of course I do…but in all honesty…I'm afraid that they'll desert me, or be disgusted if they knew everything," she said in realization. Admitting this to someone…someone other than the voices in her head…or even to Draco, was sort of a relief, even _if_ he was still a relative of hers.

"And why would they do that?" he asked, prodding her to tell him the truth, but she just turned away from him.

"I'm sorry Sirius, but I – I just can't. and as I've told Harry numerous times, it's for the best for _all_ of us that they don't know who I really am. Trust me," she said.

"Very well. I make you tell, but just know that I personally don't think that hiding the truth is a good idea."

"Since when did you become so serious and wise?" she asked jokingly, causing her mother's cousin to smile.

"What are you talking about? I'm _always_ Sirius!" he replied, causing her to groan as he walked ahead of her.

"Aren't you coming?" he asked when he noticed that she wasn't following.

"No, I want to stay here for a moment or two," she replied and Black nodded, before going to discuses his findings with the trio.

"Nothing," he said, coming into the cave.

"But _why_? Why won't she tell anyone anything about her?" Harry asked, exasperated.

"All I'm going to tell you is that she's scared…of your reactions, and the consequences of her actions," he said, but just shook his head as all three went to protest, signing that their friend was walking into the cave behind them.

The rest of the time was spent discussing Crouch…but Lyra's mind was elsewhere.

_Would they really accept her when and if she told them? She could only hope so…she could perhaps make them at least see her train of thought. Certainly Harry might, and even Ron and Hermione._

She sighed, just as Hermione announced that they had to go back to the school.

"Hey," Harry said softly, falling back in order to walk side by side with her.

"Hi," she replied, just as quietly.

"Lyra, I know that you don't want to tell us, but you have _nothing_ to be afraid of…don't you trust us?"

"I – of course I trust you! It's just – well – I have a feeling that many people, including you perhaps, will like me a lot less if they know the truth," she said, attempting to explain how she felt.

"Lyra," he said, putting a hand on her shoulder, causing her to stop and face him.

"I once said to you that I could never hate you. That's still true. So whenever you're ready, I promise, I will listen to your reasoning, and try not to judge you on whatever it is you're hiding from us," he said earnestly. And she nodded, smiling slightly.

"Thank you," she whispered. He nodded, before giving her a quick hug, and running to catch up with Ron, Hermione, and Sirius.

_Maybe…just maybe, one day, she would be ready to tell them. But for now…well…she knew now that she had to be more careful. They were poking their noses in places they shouldn't be…and it made her very uncomfortable._

But as she watched her three classmates laughing up ahead, she realized that perhaps she didn't fit in as well as she thought. But at the moment, Harry's trust meant more to her than anything else, his words still ringing in her ears as she joined them for the long trip back to school…to home.

_Happy First Night of Hanukkah to all the Jews out there! :)_

**_Hey all. I've put up (yet another) poll, though the action I probably won't be taking for some time. If you could just give me your opinion, that would be greatly appreciated! Thanks all!_**

_**I'm a proud member of Fanfictioners Against World Hunger. **_

**_Anything you recognize is from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire._**

**_Thanks to all who are reading, and liking it. If you have any suggestions, questions, or comments, please feel free to review/private message me. Also, if you have any ideas at all, or would like to see something happen, let me know, and I'll consider putting them into a chapter. Thanks! ~ Leanora_**


	35. Conversations in Mind and The Third Task

_**I unfortunately do not own the world of Harry Potter. That honor belongs to J. K. Rowling.**_

_**I would just like to say a quick thanks to ironyheartsap, Skylan D. Water, Allen Pitt, PrettyGirl5894, DaniPotterCedric'sGirl, The Emerald Doe, Whispering-Lestrange, Cullendaughter45, The never ending drums, and AcPa xox.**_

_**This is my second fan-fic. Hope you like it! (And if you haven't figured out by now, reviews are appreciated!)**_

_**I am writing 5 other fan-fics at this time as well. If you could please check out my profile and check them out, I would greatly appreciate that. Thanks! :)**_

***Please remember that even though you know that Lyra is a Malfoy, most of the characters don't.***

**Chapter 35:**

**Conversations in Mind and The Third Task**

The end of the year was approaching quickly, and with it, the Third Task. Lyra was nervous for her friend, but had other thoughts on her mind as well.

She noticed how concerned her friends, particularly Harry, seemed about her identity all of the sudden. This worried her. She didn't want them finding out. Her father would be proud of her…she was putting more of the "Malfoy mask" on lately. This meant keeping her emotions hidden inside her heart and head and not letting on to her true feelings to others; not having her face be an open book.

"_Ah, my friends all thought me strange and sometimes would exchange, a worried look or word behind my back."_ She thought, sighing. More often than not nowadays, she had caught the trio exchanging looks when they thought she wasn't looking. And then, when she was with them, they acted like nothing was wrong.

Sighing again, she continued the letter she was writing – to her brother no less. She had finally found a way to communicate without having to be in a classroom, separate from each other. It was ancient magic, but not dark if used correctly. It concerned love of all things, and the connection siblings, and more importantly, twins had with each other. (And the closer they were to each other, the better the connection would work.)

If done properly, she and Draco would be able to speak to each other through a form of Legilimency. So long as they were in a close enough proximity to each other, the two Malfoys would be able to speak to each other without anyone else's knowledge. Eye contact would make the messages clearer, but it was not necessary.

She was writing Draco to explain all this – hopefully it would help, both here at Hogwarts and at home. And the best part was that no one would ever be able to know they were having the mind conversations. And if someone did use Legilimency on them, the Legilimens would not be able to view the conversations.

Her mind kept wandering to something Draco had said a few months earlier. _Father's mark is growing darker, and I'm not sure what that's going to mean for our family. _Lyra wasn't sure what this meant exactly, but she knew that her Father's Dark Mark suddenly burning a dark gray wasn't good – and she hoped that her new form of communication would help her (and Draco) get through it.

Walking down to the stadium, she looked in amazement at the transformed Quidditch Pitch. On it was a fully grown hedge-maze. She gulped. Harry would have to find his way through _that_? But as she turned towards the stands to take her seat, her eyes widened…her father was seated on the top row of the bleachers.

'_Father's here.'_ She said in her mind, hoping Draco was close enough to hear her.

'_I see him…watch your back.'_ He replied, causing his sister to stiffen and sigh in relief at the same time. He had gotten her message, but he was right – Lucius would most likely be watching his children, waiting to critique them on their arrival home. Turning back to the maze, she waited for the announcements to begin. And sure enough, five minutes later, voice magically magnified, Mr. Ludo Bagman began to speak.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament is about to begin! Let me remind you how the points currently stand! Tied in first place, with eighty-five points each - Mr. Cedric Diggory and Mr. Harry Potter, both of Hogwarts School!" The cheers and applause sent birds from the Forbidden Forest fluttering into the darkening sky. "In second place, with eighty points - Mr. Viktor Krum, of Durmstrang Institute!" More applause. "And in third place – Miss Fleur Delacour, of Beauxbatons Academy!"

"So… on my whistle, Harry and Cedric!" said Bagman. "Three - two - one -"

He gave a short blast on his whistle, and Harry and Cedric hurried forward into the maze.

The hedges closed around the champions, blocking them from sight. This only increased Lyra's nervousness. _Calm down…everything's going to be just fine._ She told herself. But for some reason, she didn't believe herself.

Uneasy, she made small talk with those around her; Ron, Hermione and Ginny…she even met Bill – the oldest Weasley child.

"So _you're_ the famous Lyra that I've heard about," he said, chuckling at her wide-eyed reaction.

"Yes, it's nice to meet you," she replied hesitantly.

"And you as well, Miss…"

"Bill, she's the last nameless girl, remember?" Ron teased, causing his friend's cheeks to burn red. She looked down at her lap, slightly ashamed and embarrassed.

And that was when something in the distance caught her attention. A brief, blinding light, and then it was gone. Puzzled, she just stared at the spot. Moments later, Draco's voice came in her mind.

'_Father's gone.'_

'_WHAT?'_ she screamed back, spinning round to see that her brother 'spoke' the truth. Slowly turning back around, her face was now drawn in worry. Now she _knew_ something bad had happened.

'_What's going on?' _she mentally asked.

'_I don't know…but it can't be good. Be careful and keep a sharp eye out.'_ He responded. Both Malfoys were on alert, but made sure not to look that way to the public.

And then it happened…Harry and Cedric returned. Harry was lying on top of Cedric…and the Hufflepuff wasn't moving. She gasped as she caught sight of his eyes – they were glassy, not moving. He was dead. She just barely stifled a scream as she turned away.

'_Lei, what happened? I can't see.'_

'_He's dead…Draco, Cedric's dead.'_ She replied shakily. There was a stunned silence before a response came.

'_Just – just hang in there._' He 'said', but it wasn't a firm response.

'_Draco, Harry's muttering something about "he's back…Voldemort's back!" That's – that must be where dad went. I – help!'_

And this time, Draco didn't respond. But in a way, he didn't need to. The Malfoy siblings managed to make eye contact through the crowd and both read similar emotions in the other's eyes. They were in danger…and it would be up to them to protect each other over the upcoming summer – because no one else was going to.

_**I'm a member of Fanfictioners Against World Hunger. **_

_**Anything you recognize is from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.**_

_**Thanks to all who are reading, and liking it. If you have any suggestions, questions, or comments, please feel free to review/private message me. Also, if you have any ideas at all, or would like to see something happen, let me know, and I'll consider putting them into a chapter. Thanks! ~ Leanora**_


	36. Return and Remove

_**I unfortunately do not own the world of Harry Potter. That honor belongs to J. K. Rowling.**_

_**I would just like to say a quick thanks to Miranda Cahill of Slytherin, Slytherin Ice Princess13, scara1, Whispering-Lestrange, The Emerald Doe, PrettyGirl5894, flightofbella, SlytherinWitchxx, Allen Pitt, Saturn Fate Silver Maxwell, x Dark Lady x, XxMiSs. IdPeNdEnTxX, twilightaddict98, Alex274, and TheScriptess.**_

_**This is my second fan-fic. Hope you like it! (And if you haven't figured out by now, reviews are appreciated!)**_

_**I am writing 5 other fan-fics at this time as well. If you could please check out my profile and check them out, I would greatly appreciate that. Thanks! :)**_

***Please remember that even though you know that Lyra is a Malfoy, most of the characters don't.***

**Chapter 36:**

**Return and Remove**

The minute to two siblings got home, they were immediately ushered into the living room. The two exchanged a quick look.

_Be careful. If Potter's right, they'll be targeting you more._ Her brother said into her mind. She nodded once before turning her attention to their parents.

"How much do you know of what happened this past weekend?" their mother asked.

"Only that, according to Harry, Voldemort has returned," Lyra replied.

"Do _NOT_ say his name!" her father yelled, causing her to cringe.

"And yes, you're dear _friend_ is correct. Though you must not promote the idea. For the next year, the Dark Lord will be keeping a low profile," Lucius continued.

"A ministry official will be coming to Hogwarts this year. Dolores Umbridge will be your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. And I expect you to follow the rules, uphold the family name, and, if the time comes, ally yourself with her. And you are not to indulge the Potter boy's claiming about the Dark Lord. As far as you know, they are false. Do I make myself clear?" Lucius asked, and Lyra had a hard time keeping his gaze.

"Yes Father. Crystal," Draco replied first, his voice firm and cold.

"Lyra?" her father prodded.

"Yes Father," she finally said, her voice soft, but firm. But she didn't meet his gaze – something that worried Lucius. His daughter was no longer fit to be a Malfoy…she hadn't been in a long while. Perhaps he would have another talk with Draco. They boy _was _supposed to have spied on his sister after all.

"Draco, stay a moment. Lyra, you are dismissed," he said. _Good luck._ Lyra whispered in her brother's mind before leaving for her room. Narcissa left as well, following her daughter out, sensing that Lucius needed a moment _alone_ with his son…though she would be a fool not to admit that she was curious and nervous for her only son.

"How has Lyra been this year? From what I saw, she is still associating herself with people beneath her," Lucius began.

"She's gotten better this year Father. She's trying, she really is," Draco replied.

"Is she now? She doesn't seem to be," Lucius said in mock surprise, his voice cold.

"Father, she's starting to hide her emotions more. She's beginning to master the manners of a Malfoy," Draco said, desperate to try and prove to his Father that she was trying…that she didn't deserve to be disowned.

"It's about time," his father muttered coldly.

"Well Draco, I will give you one a few more months. If, by break, you have managed to transform your sister into a true Malfoy child, then I will accept her back. If not, she _will_ be removed from the tapestry. Is this understood my son?" he demanded.

"Yes Father," Draco replied firmly, his voice cold. At his father's nod, he left the room, running to his own.

_Three months…he had to make his sister "a perfect Malfoy" in three months. Or she would be blown off the tapestry…disowned._

Draco hung his head, letting his hair fall into his face. He didn't think he could bare having Lyra not around again…true, he disliked her friends, her house…but that made her different, special – his sister. it was, perhaps, because of her ability to thrive in Gryffindor despite having been brought up in a Slytherin household that made her so strong, so unique…that made her _her_!

He sighed again, leaning against his pillows. _No matter what happens,_ he promised himself, _Lyra will _always_ be my sister…whether Father likes it or not._ Now the only question was…was there a way to make his Father proud, but still be with his sister?

A knock on his door brought him from his thoughts.

"Come in," he yelled, causing his dark door to open, revealing his sister.

"Lyra…are you okay?"

"Draco, I'm scared," she admitted. Sighing, he made space for her on the bed.

"I'm scared of what Voldemort…oh get over it!" she shouted mid–sentence at Draco's cringe.

"…of what Voldemort's return is going to mean for us. Father was hiding something, I'm sure of it," she confessed.

"I understand…but there's something else. If you're not a perfect Malfoy by Christmas break…Father's going to disown you. So please, try the best you can. I'll do what I can to convince him otherwise, but…well, who knows what'll happen in the end?" he said, letting his own emotions show through for once…she was the only one for whom he would let his walls down.

"Thank you," she whispered. Draco pulled his sister close to him. The two just stayed there for a moment.

"Well, isn't this touching," a cold voice said from the doorway, startling the twins.

"I have some news…it will probably interest both of you…particularly you, daughter," Lucius said, eyeing his children coldly.

"Yes, sir?" she asked, her tone cold as she addressed her father, sitting up straight, her mask in place.

"The Dark Lord has received information that the Order of the Phoenix has reconvened. We are unsure of where their headquarters are. However, we would like you to figure it out. Use your pathetic friendship to enter the Order's headquarters," Lucius said.

"What? Sir, you're being contradictory. You want me to end my friendship, and yet, use that same friendship to penetrate the Order?" she asked for clarification.

"Indeed," Lucius replied simply.

"I will not be able to gain access…I am not as trusted," she admitted coolly.

"Then you must become more trusted," Lucius persisted.

"I will try, Father," she stated. He nodded once, before adding one more bit.

"We also have reason to believe that Black is a part of the Order, if that helps to jog a memory," Lucius said, smirking. The man then left, leaving Lyra to herself.

_If Sirius was a part of the Order (and she had no doubt that he was,) then he would want to help in any way he could, including…_

Her eyes widened in realization. Gulping, she turned away, heading out the door.

"Draco, I'll see you later. The – there's something I have to do," she said quietly, before running out of her brother's room. Draco just stared at the doorway, startled, before getting up curiously and following her. Not that she knew this of course.

Lyra made her way quickly down to the famous tapestry room, and entered it silently, taking out her wand.

Her fingers traced the familiar images, before stopping on hers. Pointing her wand directly at her image, she took a deep breath, before whispering,

_"Incendio!"_

Immediately, the image of her face went up in flames. After a moment, they died down on their own, revealing a now dark hole in the tapestry…the dreaded burn mark. Then, taking another deep breath, she leaned forward, her wand resting on the burn, and slowly started muttering incantations, moving her hands over the mark.

And slowly, she go the result she wanted. Her now tainted image was moving…shifting to the left, while Draco's shifted to the right. After five minutes, Lyra Malfoy was no more. After five minutes of hard work, according to the tapestry, Draco was the sole child of Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy.

Lyra felt a tug at her being as the movement was completed. Looking once more at where her image had been only minutes prior, she nodded once. Now no one looking at any tapestry would know she existed.

Glancing one more, she turned her back on the tapestry and made her way to dinner, head held high.

What she didn't notice was that her brother had seen everything. He had watched in confusion and shock. He couldn't understand why she had done that.

And, for the first time in years, he felt two tears sliding down his cheeks as he gazed at the place where his sister had once existed…at the truth of the tapestry. Because according to the world, he was the only child of Lucius and Narcissa…and now it was true, even in his own family.

He gulped, before hardening his expression…the tapestry was wrong. It didn't matter who had done the deed…Lyra _was_ and would always _be_ his sister. No matter what a stupid tapestry showed.

_Happy Holidays and Happy New Year Everyone!_

_**I'm a member of Fanfictioners Against World Hunger. **_

_**Anything you recognize is from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.**_

_**Thanks to all who are reading, and liking it. If you have any suggestions, questions, or comments, please feel free to review/private message me. Also, if you have any ideas at all, or would like to see something happen, let me know, and I'll consider putting them into a chapter. Thanks! ~ Leanora**_


	37. Expressions on the Express

**_I unfortunately don't own the world of Harry Potter. J. K. Rowling does._**

_**Just a quick thanks to Alex274, The Emerald Doe, PirateQueen-Mrs. Norrington, twilightaddict98, Skylan D. Water, RainsFinalFantasy, black-miracle, LostVampyre, Slytherin96, LoveofWarriors1998, lunathevamp, misaria, sweetypie200494, sk8trchick, xXMizz Alec VolturiXx, twilightjen, rose1589, trini bear, Slytherin96, butiloveyou, Ivy-Wayne-Hood, *emcee31*, lucgoose96, Mitin, dobbyonlymeanttomaim, Sci-fi geek1133, and littledhampir13.  
**_

**_Just so you know, I'm writing 6 other stories as well. Thanks! :)_**

***Please remember that even though you know that Lyra is a Malfoy, most of the characters don't.***

**Chapter 37:**

**Expressions on the Express**

"So, how'd your trial go Harry?" Lyra asked as the four friends settled down into an empty compartment.

"Fine. I got off of all charges. How'd you know anyway?" her friend replied as he took a seat.

"My father works in the Ministry, remember? And besides, what kind of a friend would I be if I didn't know what kind of trouble you'd gotten yourself into?" she asked, only half-joking. Still, chuckles filled the compartment for a moment, before Ron's eyes narrowed.

"Why were you talking with Malfoy before?" he demanded to know. Lyra grimaced. She was hoping no one would notice.

_As the Malfoy family reached the platform, Lyra went to immediately move away from them, but Draco had stopped her._

_"Lyra, please…remember what Father said – Lei, you _have_ to pretend that you don't believe Potter. And try and listen to Umbridge – she'll report back to Father, you know that. Please – for my sake as well as yours, don't do anything to make him angrier," he said, his normally hard expression softened a bit, his normally cold voice full of emotion._

_"Al – alright, I'll try. I promise," she said, giving in – if only for him. He grasped her hand in his, giving it a tight squeeze since he knew that he couldn't embrace her here like he wanted to – both because their classmates were present, as well as their father. They nodded once to each other before separating._

_Draco sighed – he had yet to tell her that he had witnessed when she removed herself from the tapestry – and thus, almost from existence. Taking a deep breath he put on the persona of the perfect Malfoy and went to find his classmates – _show time_._

"Yo – you saw that?" She asked, almost wishing that he would deny it. But when he nodded, she gulped and gave an answer.

"It was nothing Ron. Trust me – just a reminder," she said, hoping he would let it go.

"A reminder of what?" Hermione questioned.

"Please – can't we just drop it?" the other girl pleaded. All three stared at her for a moment, before Hermione asked Ron who he thought the new defense teacher would be. But Harry's eyes lingered on hers just a bit longer. It was as if he was trying to figure out what she was hiding.

After a moment, he asked if he could see her outside. Nervously, she followed him out into the hallway, closing the door behind her.

"Is everything alright? You seem kind of upset," Harry asked, concern in his emerald green eyes.

"I – I'm fine, Harry, thank you," she stuttered, not meeting his gaze. The boy across from her raised an eyebrow.

"Honestly!" she persisted. "I've just got a lot to think about right now," she continued, now starting to get annoyed.

"I'm sorry. Anything I can help with?" he asked. She just shook her head.

"No, it's – it's just family stuff," she said, still not meeting his eyes.

"Really? Like what?" he asked, intrigued – she almost _never_ mentioned her family.

"It – it's nothing much. My father's just none too happy with me right now," she admitted, looking down at her feet, her arms folding across her chest.

"Why not?"

"He – my family doesn't exactly share my views on most topics. My father's been pressuring me and this is the final stand – if I don't become the perfect pureblood daughter by Christmas break, he'll disown me," she explained.

"I'm sorry," Harry said, unsure of what else to say or do in this situation. She just shrugged.

"I don't really care one way or another. The only problem would be that I wouldn't be able to see my mother or brother – that would hurt more I think, then the actual disownment," she said, her voice saddening against her will as she thought of how she had "edited" the tapestry a few weeks prior.

"Well, if he does disown you, you could always come live at Grimauld Place – I'm sure Sirius would like the company," Harry suggested and almost in spite of the situation, a chuckle escaped her lips.

"Thank you Harry. You're always there when I need you," she said, a slight blush creeping into her cheeks.

"But honestly, how was your trial?" she asked.

"It went fine apart from the fact that they decided for a full trial to be held," he answered, leaning against the wall. Lyra gaped at him.

"What?" she exclaimed in disbelief.

"Fudge held a full trial for me – I was acquitted of all past charges though, which is good – the jury was fair enough I guess," he said, shrugging.

"You ready to go back in?" he asked softly, noticing that she had calmed down a bit.

"Yeah, I think – " she started to say, but stopped as she saw her brother coming down the corridor. Her brow furrowed.

_What do you want?_ She asked in his mind.

_To make sure that you were okay. You seemed…apprehensive and upset when we parted._ He replied.

_Draco, enough already, please? There's feeling naturally protective I'm your sister and then there's being over protective._

_Lei, I'm just as wor – _

_Draco, ENOUGH!_ His eyes widened slightly, but not enough so that the Gryffindor boy across from him would notice – or so he hoped.

"Can I _please_ strangle him now?" she muttered under her breath. Harry, whose eyes had narrowed on site of the Slytherin boy, chuckled. He had been watching the two Malfoys, but didn't know why exactly nothing had happened yet except for a staring match. He wasn't sure where his friend's request had come from, but he didn't really care at the moment. He had plenty of other things to worry about without adding Draco Malfoy to the picture.

"C'mon, let's go," he said, guiding her back into the compartment, glaring once at his school nemesis as he went. But just as they turned, she spoke once more into her sibling's mind.

_Dray, I'm sorry – I know you're worried. I am too. But please…can't you just give me some space right now?_ She pleaded. He looked at her, able to hear the pain, and nodded once before moving away, "speaking" as he went.

_I'll try….and I'm sorry, too._

"Hermione?" she asked tentatively.

"Yes?" she replied, much in the same tone, but, as always with Hermione, her voice held an undertone of questioning.

"I think I can answer your question from before. About who's to be our new defense professor," she said, taking the seat next to Harry.

"Really? Who is it?" the brown haired girl asked eagerly, leaning forward. Lyra had to chuckle – it was just so like Hermione to like to know every little detail.

"Dolores Umbridge. She works for the Ministry of Magic and isn't very…how should I say this…let me put it this way; she prefers people like Lucius Malfoy to people like Professor Lupin," Lyra said grimacing.

"From the Ministry? Bloody hell," Ron said leaning back in his seat.

"Precisely. Harry, I know that you're telling the truth, but you mustn't do anything to anger her. She's got Fudge and many others behind her. If she really wants to, well – and this stays between us for now," she said, dropping her voice and leaning forward, beckoning the others to do the same. "From what I've heard, she likes to be in power, which doesn't bode well for any of us. That's all I'm going to say though…that's all I dare to say for that matter."

The other three paled, knowing that she was right. And suddenly, they all found themselves not looking forward to going back to school quite as much. Because if what Lyra said was true, then they were in for one hell of a year.

_I'm soo sorry for the wait! I had mid-terms and some other crazy stuff going on the past few weeks. But it's just about done. Thank you for sticking with me!_

_**Anything you recognize is from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.**_

**_Thanks to all who are reading and enjoying this story. If you have any suggestions, (i.e. would like to see something happen, etc.) questions, or comments, please feel free to private message me. Thanks! ~ Leanora_**


	38. Choosing A Side

_**I unfortunately don't own the world of Harry Potter. J. K. Rowling does.**_

_**So I've finally done as many of you have suggested and gotten a beta, so thank you PensiveGirl!**_

_**Also a quick thanks to xXMizz Alec VolturiXx, Alex274, Sarala23, lynx44, Lacerta-Cassiopeia-Black, Skylan D. Water, Allen Pitt, WolfAngel75, Slytherin96, Sin - NaMe, 0candycane0, Sci-fi geek1133, XzMizukizX, BootsJim, LuckedClover, high-off-skittles-XP, Rezurith Hope-less, Live to anger the World, Hobbit4Lyfe, PensiveGirl, The Last Gypsy Princess, mysteriouslife, and Sherlein.**_

_**Just so you know, I'm writing 6 other stories as well. Thanks! :)**_

***Please remember that even though you know that Lyra is a Malfoy, most of the characters don't.***

**Chapter 38:**

**Choosing A Side**

As she had predicted, Umbridge was absolutely awful. They weren't learning anything; just the theory and no magic was allowed. Everything was being more restricted day by day – groups were no longer allowed to meet without permission and Fred and George's jokes…well, the twins had had to go undercover for the time being. Umbridge was making sure of that, and was trying to take over Hogwarts; and though it hadn't been stated out loud, it was clear to the staff and students of Hogwarts that the Ministry had infiltrated the prestigious school. And to top it all off, Harry had already gotten two weeks worth of detention.

Luckily for her, Umbridge hadn't revealed who she was…so far, so good. Though Draco was being rather annoying – he was constantly watching her these days. Lyra knew he was just watching out for her, making sure she was safe, but it was infuriating to think that he didn't trust her, that he didn't think she could take care of herself.

She sighed just as Harry walked into the common room.

"Morning," he mumbled tiredly, slumping into the seat next to her. She raised her eyebrows at him. Even on the weekends, he usually didn't sleep this late. Ron, however, was another matter.

"It's ten o'clock already. Did you sleep alright?" she asked.

"No – I woke up to another nightmare around three," he admitted, running a hand through his dark, messy hair, but refused to elaborate on the matter. Laying a hand on his, she gave it a small, comforting squeeze…and Harry winced. Perturbed, she lifted her hand and gasped, eyes narrowing. The words _I must not tell lies._ were etched into his skin.

"She's making you use a blood quill," she stated, growing angrier by the second. One look at his face her that the only other people who knew were Ron and Hermione. Now furious, she stood up and stalked out of the common room and out of sight, leaving a stunned Harry Potter behind, who followed minutes later, only to run into his other two friends. He told them in a hurried rush what was happening; the only problem now was…where had she gone?

Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she knocked.

"Come in," the sickly sweat voice beckoned. Taking another deep break, making sure the famous "Malfoy Mask" was in place, she strode in…and, for the first time in her life, she was the perfect picture of a proper Malfoy. Umbridge look up as Lyra waked in.

"What can I do you for?" the "teacher" asked.

"I'd like to inquire about your methods during detentions," the young girl replied bluntly.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Umbridge said, eyeing Lyra carefully as she feigned innocence.

"Oh, but I think you do. And so, I'm willing to make you a deal. You know what I am."

"Indeed I do, Miss Malfoy," Umbridge said smirking. Lyra tensed slightly.

"In addition to keeping my identity a secret, I'd like to propose the following: I'm willing to become a member of your Inquisitorial Squad if…"

"If _what_?"

"If you agree to stop using Blood Quills in your detentions. In fact, if you'd like, I have a proposition…"

Meanwhile, Hermione was ranting about Umbridge on their way to find their friend when Draco interrupted her.

"Now, do you really want to finish that sentence, Granger?"

Draco Malfoy had slid out from behind the door, closely followed by Crabbe and Goyle. His pale, pointed face was alight with malice.

"Afraid I'm going to have to dock a few points from Gryffindor and Hufflepuff," he drawled.

"It's only teachers who can dock points from houses, Malfoy," said Ernie at once.

"Yeah, we're prefects, too, remember?" snarled Ron.

"I know prefects can't dock points, Weasel King," sneered Malfoy. Crabbe and Goyle sniggered.

"But members of the Inquisitorial Squad -"

"The what!" said Hermione sharply.

"The Inquisitorial Squad, Granger," said Malfoy, pointing towards a tiny silver 'I' on his robes just beneath his prefect's badge. "A select group of students who are supportive of the Ministry of Magic, hand-picked by Professor Umbridge. Anyway, members of the Inquisitorial Squad do have the power to dock points… so, Granger, I'll have five from you for being rude about our new Headmistress. Macmillan, five for contradicting me. Five because I don't like you, Potter. Weasley, your shirts untucked, so I'll have another five for that. Oh yeah, I forgot, you're a Mudblood, Granger, so ten off for that."

Ron pulled out his wand, but Hermione pushed it away, whispering, "Don't!"

"Wise move, Granger," breathed Malfoy. "New Head, new times… be good now, Potty… Weasel King…"

Laughing heartily, he began to stride away with Crabbe and Goyle.

"And I suppose I'll have to take ten from you for being an arrogant, prejudiced git and five each for both of your cronies for going blindly along with what he's saying. And, oh yeah, I forgot, Draco, you're an annoying ferret boy, so I'll have another ten for that. There, I think that just about evens it out," Lyra said, smirking as she came up behind her friends. All of her classmates looked at her in shock.

"But regular students can't just dock points!" Crabbe exclaimed, and Lyra stared at him in surprise, for she had never heard him speak before, except to agree with Draco.

"No, but members of the Inquisitorial Squad can," she said, pulling back the corner of her robe to revel her own silver 'I' pin.

"But – how…?" her brother stuttered.

"Where there's a will, there's a way. Where's there's power, the path is clear. You just have to know how to play your cards," she replied simply. His eyes narrowed.

"You didn't…"

"Try me," she said, her voice just as low and even as his. He glared at her for a moment, before muttering,

"C'mon," to his fellow Slytherins, and stalking away.

"That was bloody brilliant!" Ron exclaimed after a tense moment of silence.

"Thank you, thank you very much," she said, mockingly bowing to them.

"I – I'll see you later. I've got Potions next," Ernie said, leaving them while glancing warily at Lyra. She sighed, partially in defeat, as she turned to Harry.

"You no longer have detention with Umbridge," she declared.

"What?" but – you got me out of detention with her?" he asked incredulously, unable to comprehend was she was saying.

"Yes. From now on you'll be having it in the forest. You'll still be doing the same lines, though now you'll be carving it into a tree. Hagrid's to be the professor on watch, but since she doesn't trust either of you, I'm to be the supervisor. Better?" she clarified.

"Much. I – I can't thank you enough for this," he said, stepping forward and embracing her, much to her great surprise.

"I couldn't let you continue using that Blood Quill…so I made a deal with her," she explained.

"And that's why you're now a part of the Inquisitorial Squad," Hermione guessed. Lyra nodded.

"It's fine. I _don't_ want you to feel guilty Harry, do you understand me?" she demanded, and he gulped and nodded.

As the four Gryffindors made their way into the Great Hall, Lyra wondered if she had done the right thing, especially as she saw her brother enter and flash her an almost murderous gaze, but there was confusion in it, too. Of course she had wanted to get Harry out of that wretched woman's clutches any way possible, but was it worth what she had given up? People, like Ernie, would start to suspect whose side she was on. Her loyalties were already being tested…did she need them to be pushed to the limit and beyond?

_**Anything you recognize is from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.**_

_**Sorry it took so long to update! My schedule's been crazy!**_

_**Thanks to all who are reading and enjoying this story. If you have any suggestions, (i.e. would like to see something happen, etc.) questions, or comments, please feel free to private message me. Thanks! ~ Leanora**_


	39. Wrong or Right?

_**I unfortunately do not own the world of Harry Potter. That honor belongs to J. K. Rowling.**_

_**I would just like to say a quick thanks to everyone who alerted or reviewed!**_

_**This is my second fan-fic. Hope you like it! (And if you haven't figured out by now, reviews are appreciated!)**_

_**I am writing 5 other fan-fics at this time as well. If you could please check out my profile and check them out, I would greatly appreciate that. Thanks! :)**_

_**Just remember that even though you know the truth about Lyra, the characters don't.**_

**Chapter 38:**

**Wrong or Right?**

"Draco, I - I just don't know anymore!" Lyra exclaimed to her brother, throwing her hands up in the air. "All I know is it's just too much," she admitted. The Malfoy siblings were currently alone together in an abandoned classroom.

"I get it, really Lei, I do. It's just - do you really think that there's anything that we of all people can do?"

"I told you Draco - I don't know."

"Hey Lyra...if I ask you some questions, can you promise to answer them honestly?" Draco inquired suddenly.

"Of - of course! Why wouldn't I?" she asked in response, perturbed by her brother's question.

"Why'd you join the Inquisitorial Squad?"

Lyra sighed, crossing her arms loosely over her chest.

"Umbridge was forcing Harry to use a Blood Quill during his detentions," she confessed. Draco paled. He wouldn't wish for that to be used even on Potter.

"She was making him write, 'I must not tell lies.' I - I couldn't let that continue. So, I made a deal with her."

"You would become a member of the Inquisitorial Squad if she let Potter off the hook," Draco guessed, suddenly understanding.

"Yes," Lyra admitted. "As well as promising to oversee his upcoming detentions. I - Draco, was that the right move? Using our last name to get what I wanted?"

"You did what you thought was right. And Lyra – you didn't use it to purposely gain power – you did it to stop the pain of your friend. No one can fault you for that," Draco said, unsure of how exactly to respond to the question.

"Then why do I feel so wrong?"

"Because you're doing the very thing you hate – using the name for power and to manipulate people – but here's the difference: Father does it all the time and for the wrong reasons; you did it because you thought that was the only way to get things done – to help Potter. You're not Father. Don't ever compare yourself to him," he told her, sincerity and command in his voice.

"Thanks, Draco; I needed that. I – I needed to hear that I'm not a total traitor," she said.

"NEVER say that! You are not a traitor!" Draco yelled angrily, stepping towards her and grabbing the sides of her arms.

"Do you understand me? I don't ever want to hear you say that again!" he continued, his voice loud and ferocious. Lyra nodded her head up and down quickly and replied in a small voice.

"Ye – yes, sir."

At once, Draco's anger seemed to vanish and he saw his sister for how she was reacting…for what she really was. His gaze softened and he saw the fear in her eyes…her fear of him!

"Oh my god! What – what have I done?" he whispered, mostly to himself. "Lyra, I – I am so sorry," he said. "Lyra? Lyra, please, answer me," he pleaded to the now shaking girl; she had tears running down her cheeks in a silent cry.

"Lyra, please! Talk to me, say something, anything!" he begged, but as he moved one hand from her arm to her face to wipe her tears, she flinched, and muttered,

"No – please Father, I swear it won't happen again!"

Draco, shocked, took a step back, bewildered at his sister's response. Did she – did she think that he was Lucius? What had happened to her? What had their father done to her? Draco wondered…but now wasn't the time to find out.

"Lei, it's me, Draco," he spoke softly, hoping to bring her back to the present. But she just shook her head. Thinking quickly, hoping this wouldn't cause her more pain, he spoke again, louder than before.

"Come on Raia!"

At once, Lyra's eyes snapped into focus, and Draco winced as he detected some lingering fear – he hadn't called her that since…since the day she almost drowned.

Taking in her brother's worried expression, Lyra shuddered, before drawing him close, burying her face in his chest. Draco pulled her close, rubbing soothing circles on her back.

"Shh…Lei, it's all right. I – I'm sorry I yelled. I just couldn't stand to hear you say that you believe yourself a traitor. You are not one – whether or not you're a Malfoy shouldn't matter, and if it does matter to them, well – if they can't see past that once the truth comes out, then they're not really your friends," he said wisely.

"I – I'm sorry, Draco," came her muffled response. "I – I know you're not Father, and I know you would never hurt me," she whispered.

"I will always try to keep you safe; that's a promise," Draco declared, pulling her even closer.

"How in the world can we be safe with the Dark Lord and Umbridge out there?" she asked.

"I – I can't answer that right now, Lei. I mean, it's not as if we can train ourselves, now can we? We don't have that kind of experience or knowledge," he mused, a sarcastic tone to his voice. But suddenly, Lyra's eyes lit up and she pulled away, wiping the last of her tears from her face.

"Wait a minute; I was joking Lei!" he said, not liking the look on her face.

"You're a lifesaver, Draco!" she shouted, grabbing her bag and hugging him briefly once more before heading for the door and bounding out of it and running down the hall. Draco just sighed, leaning against the wall; what in the world had he just done?

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"Harry! Harry, I think I know of a way to get around the Umbridge problem," she exclaimed, sitting down next to him in the common room moments later.

"Really?" Harry looked at her in surprise.

"All we need is a proper teacher; why can't you do the job?"

"Me? You want me to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts?" he asked in confirmation, dumbfounded at her suggestion.

"It's a good idea," Hermione said, as she and Ron returned from a prefects meeting. "Though we would be breaking the rules," she continued worriedly. Lyra stared at her.

"Because it's the first time for all of us," she stated sarcastically. "Besides, considering it's Umbridge's rules, I'm not very keen on following them."

"Good point," Ron declared. But Harry just stared at his three friends, before speaking.

"You're all crazy. I can't teach others DADA!"

"Of course you can, Harry! It's perfect! We'll just need to find a place to do it," she said, and Harry had never seen her more enthusiastic.

"She's right, mate." Ron affirmed, and Lyra looked started that he was actually agreeing with her.

"Harry," she began, lowering her voice and leaning forward. "I told you a bit of my home life on the Express earlier this year. I need to learn how to defend myself, especially with Voldemort back, and I'm certainly not the only one. Please, Harry. We need you."

As she finished, Harry looked at her, and, for what seemed like the first time in all the years he had known her, he could read her eyes; they shone bright with hope, but were dulled by her pleading. Harry sighed.

"Let me think about it and I'll have my decision in, say, two weeks," he decided. Lyra nodded.

"Fair enough," Hermione declared, as though that settled it, and, in a way, it did.

"Thank you," the Malfoy girl whispered to her friend, sincerity in her voice. Harry turned and gave her a small smile.

"Anytime. After all, we have to stick together, don't we?" he asked rhetorically, and they both chuckled before the four friends turned to deal with a more pressing and much less fun matter: homework.

_So just as a warning - during the summer, I unfortunately won't have my laptop, so updates might become even less frequent, especially considering my schedule. Sorry and thanks for sticking with me!_

**Anything you recognize is from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.**

**Thanks to all who are reading and enjoying this story. If you have anything you want to say to/ask me suggestions, please feel free to private message me. Thanks! ~ Leanora**


	40. Defensive Family

**_I unfortunately don't own the world of Harry Potter. J. K. Rowling does._**

**_Thank you to my absolutely amazing beta, moonservant!_**

_**Also a quick thanks to The Emerald Doe, BloodyBleedingRose, xXMizz Alec VolturiXx, aliviaolive11, Princess-Lazy-Chan, RyanWolfe96, Allen Pitt, ginny555, Maria1415, SawyerJean, Kasyntra, xxSlytheringirl101xx, OneReaderAmongMany, london265, xSingerDream, Lady Isabelle Black, london265, Ormus45, and PariJaan.**_

**_Just so you know, I'm writing 6 other stories as well. Thanks! :)_**

***Please remember that even though you know that Lyra is a Malfoy, most of the characters don't.***

**Chapter 40:**

**Defensive Family**

It was a few weeks before Harry brought up the lessons again. Personally, Lyra was very stressed. Between classes for the O.W.L.s at the end of the year, being a part of the Inquisitorial Squad (something she detested strongly) and overseeing Harry's detentions, she barely had any time to herself.

It was actually at one of these detentions that Harry spoke of her idea.

"So I've been thinking, and the lessons sound like a good idea," he said as he carved the message into the dead tree, his hands bleeding.

"Really?" she asked, unable to believe that he was actually considering it.

"Really," he repeated, looking up at her. Lyra smiled, coming over to him.

"Thanks," she said quietly. "I think that's enough for tonight," she continued, taking his injured hands hers, causing him to grimace. Brandishing her wand, she moved it over his hands, healing them so that only scars were left, but not the blood or the pain. This way, Umbridge would be satisfied, but Harry wouldn't be in discomfort.

"Thank you," he whispered, getting to his feet. "This really is better. I'm _still_ trying to figure out how you managed to pull this off," he mused as they started back to the castle.

"Will you still have to keep guessing?" she replied, but this time, her tone was suddenly nervous, and forced.

"So how are things at your house?" Harry asked then, remembering what she had said on the Express. Immediately, Harry noticed her stiffen, and wondered why she was so secretive about her personal life…but then again, he was secretive about his home life as well. He heard Lyra sigh and looked to see his friend lost in her thoughts as she began to speak.

"I – I guess it's alright. There's still a lot of pressure, especially since Voldemort's return," she explained. "And I'm just not cut out to be the person my parents, particularly my father, wants me to be. O you know what my father thinks of me?" she asked, her voice quieting. When Harry shook his head, she continued.

"As far as he's concerned, he only has one child – my brother. My own father doesn't even consider me a part of his family. I'm just some guest that he tolerates because he knows my brother will walk out on him if he kicks me out of the house," Lyra admitted.

The two friends were stopped now. Lyra was trying to stop the tears that threatened to spill from running down her cheeks, while Harry was gazing at her sympathetically.

"I – I'm sorry I'm dropping this on you, Harry. Especially since I know I shouldn't be complaining about my father, since you…well –"

"Lyra, stop it. Just because my parents are dead doesn't mean you're not allowed to complain about yours. Especially if you have a situation like that going on. I – I'm so sorry, Lyra. I – I didn't realize it was that bad. If you ever need somewhere to stay, I'm sure we could talk to Mr. Weasley about you staying with them," he suggested, feeling horrible about the fact that her father didn't even consider her his own blood and flesh.

"Thanks Harry. But I – I couldn't put that burden on her. And besides – it's really the only time I get to spend with my brother anyway."

"Lyra, one more thing…don't be afraid to let your feelings out. I've told you before that I'm more then ready to be there for you when you need to do that. Don't forget it," he reminded her.

"Thank you. For everything. And bottling things up? Like you don't do that too," she teased, trying to lighten the mood. And luckily, it worked.

As Lyra lay in bed that night, she wondered how she got to be so lucky as to have him a friend…and what his reaction would be if he ever knew the full truth about her. And that's why she couldn't tell him, because she didn't think she could bare to lose him.

And that was how, three weeks later, the foursome found themselves in the Hogs Head, a dingy restaurant in Hogsmeade, preparing to tell some people about their Defense group. It was quickly becoming apparent, however, that Hermione hadn't invited just a "few" people. In fact, there were twenty-five others not including the four of them.

Hermione started by explaining the idea, how Umbridge wasn't teaching them properly at all (not that anyone needed reminding, really) and how Voldemort was back (at this, there was a collective shudder around the room), and that they needed a proper Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.

And then there was the Hufflepuff kid, Zacharias Smith who just questioned Harry's story. And finally…Harry spoke.

"What makes me say You-Know-Who's back?" he repeated, looking Zacharias straight in the face. "I saw him. But Dumbledore told the whole school what happened last year, and if you didn't believe him, you won't believe me, and I'm not wasting an afternoon trying to convince anyone."

Beside him, Lyra gave him a supportive smile. Even she was impressed, and she was used to him saying stuff like this. And that was when the questions started. Susan Bones asked about Harry's Patronus, and Terry Boot about the Basilisk in the second year. At the response to that question, Harry looked over to Lyra to see that she had paled, quite obviously remembering what it had been like in the Chamber of Secrets.

Next came the points about saving the Sorcerer's Stone in first year…at this, Lyra paled even more, so much that she was almost white, and looked sick. Harry noticed this, and tried to move quickly from the topic of his past heroics just as someone remembered what he had done in the Triwizard Tournament the previous year.

"Look," he said, and everyone fell silent at once, " I… I don't want to sound like I'm trying to be modest or anything, but… I had a lot of help with all that stuff…" he said, trying to cut them all off.

"Yes, well," said Hermione hastily, "moving on… the point is, are we agreeing we want to take lessons from Harry?"

So, of course, then came the shouts about the meetings not interfering with the house's Quidditch practices, or the various club meetings.

"Okay, LISTEN!" Lyra finally yelled, causing everyone to look at her.

"I don't know about you, but I'd rather lose the Quidditch House Cup to Slytherin this year than face Voldemort and the other Death Eaters without being able to defend myself. So yes, we'll work around your schedules, but honestly, this _is_ rather important," she reminded them. Harry gave her a grateful glance, whispering "thanks," but other then that, there was silence.

"I - I think everybody should write their name down, just so we know who was here. But I also think," she took a deep breath, "that we all ought to agree not to shout about what we're doing. So if you sign, you're agreeing not to tell Umbridge or anybody else what we're up to."

One by one, everyone hesitantly or confidently, depending on the person, signed the piece of parchment, before leaving the foursome alone once more.

Ron and Hermione ended up bickering along the way back, so Harry and Lyra fell back.

"Are you okay?" he asked her, much to the girl's surprise.

"Me? _I'm_ not the one that just agreed to teach everyone," she replied. Harry chuckled.

"True. But – but I saw your reaction to the Chamber and the Sorcerer's Stone," he admitted.

"Oh. Yeah, I – I'm fine," she stuttered out quickly, getting slightly defensive.

"Lyra, you _do_ remember what I said a few weeks ago, right? About being able to confide in me?" he reminded her.

"Yeah, it's just – the way I was brought up…I was brought up not to show emotion, not to feel," she explained. "It's just hard, knowing and _accepting_ that I have someone that I can actually talk to," she confessed, not meeting her friend's emerald eyes.

"Hey, it's fine, I understand. Just please, trust in me," he asked of her.

"I do trust you. In fact, I – I'm proud to be your friend and student-to-be," she let on, blushing, her friend following a moment later.

"Thanks," he replied, unsure of what else to say.

"C'mon, let's go stop them before Hermione hexes him," she suggested. Harry laughed as the two ran up the path to catch up with their other friends.

In her eyes, this was how it was supposed to be. Peaceful, without danger. But then again, she knew that wasn't going to happen anytime soon…which is why she was planning on teaching everything Harry taught her to Draco, so that he too would be prepared.

**In honor of _Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II_!**

_**Anything you recognize is from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.**_

**_Thanks to all who are reading and enjoying this story. If you have any suggestions, (i.e. would like to see something happen, etc.) questions, or comments, please feel free to private message me. Thanks! ~ Leanora_**


	41. Truths, Lies, and Deadlines

**_I unfortunately don't own the world of Harry Potter. J. K. Rowling does._**

**_Thank you to my new absolutely amazing beta, clovetf!_**

_**Also a quick thanks to christy86, xXMizz Alec VolturiXx, Mai Ascot, PrettyGirl5894, Katara Melody Cullen, Mrs. Nicole Malfoy, twilightluver3196, WolfAngel75, Draco'sgirlxxx, Penguin Lord0029, sobreyra274, PigwidgeonHedwig7, and Rose Marley.**_

**_Just so you know, I'm writing 6 other stories as well. Thanks! :)_**

***Please remember that even though you know that Lyra is a Malfoy, most of the characters don't.***

**Chapter 41:**

**Truths, Lies, and Deadlines**

Over the next few weeks, Harry and the others searched for a possible meeting place, while Hermione tried to solve the problem of how to communicate with one another – there were so many in the group from three different houses that it would look highly suspicious if they all started talking together. As it was, Umbridge was already suspicious, since the day after the Hogsmeade trip, another degree was posted, forbidding any groups over three unless approved by her.

Sighing, Lyra gathered up her books, from the last class of the day – ironically "Defense" Against the Dark Arts.

"Please stay behind, dear," she ordered in her squeaky little voice. Nodding once, she bid good-bye to her friends, only to have Umbridge say, "You too, Mr. Potter."

Groaning, Harry joined his dark-haired friend.

"Now – how have the detentions been going?" she demanded to know. Exchanging a look, the Malfoy girl spoke up.

"They've been going well, Professor. I believe the message is finally sinking in," Lyra said, casting a slightly condescending look at Harry.

Harry, for his part, couldn't believe how real she was making this act look – _he_ knew she believed him, but if an outsider were to walk in, they wouldn't have thought the two Gryffindors friends. However, Umbridge was eating it up, so he glared at her.

"Good, good. So will I be hearing any more lies then, Mr. Potter?" she asked.

"No – you won't hear anymore _lies_ from me," he answered in totally honesty, and from the corner of his eye, he saw Lyra smirk, biting her lip so she wouldn't laugh.

Yet Umbridge was not mollified.

"Two more weeks detention, Mr. Potter. At least three times a week, understood?" she told Lyra, who nodded once.

"You are dismissed," she told them, but as they reached the door, Umbridge spoke again.

"Oh, and your father wrote to me to see if you were following instructions. He told me to pass along the message that the winter deadline still stands," she informed the Malfoy girl, who tensed, but gave a curt nod, before leaving the room, ignoring the pointed look from her friend.

Only once they were far enough away from her office did Harry dare speak.

"We _actually_ pulled that off…you – you were great," he said, but Lyra wasn't listening.

"How'd you do that?" he whispered, tapping her on her arm, causing her to start.

"Sorry. And I – well, you know I've grown up in a house that supports pure-blood supremacy…I guess I've picked up a thing or two from them after all," she said.

"Hey…so, could I ask what deadline she was talking about?"

"By winter break, I'm supposed to be a perfect pure-blood daughter, remember?"

"Oh…that deadline. Anyway, when would detentions be good for you?"

"I don't know. Whenever. We'll figure it out," she relied, and Harry knew better then to question her when she had a far-away gaze in her eyes.

Suddenly, from the corner of his eye, Harry saw a flash of blonde-white hair and pale skin. Narrowing his eyes, he wrapped an arm around his friend, leading her away. However, the minute he touched her, she started, and looked at him with…fear.

"Lyra…Lyra, it's just me, Harry," he said, grabbing her arms, looking her directly in the eye. But if anything, the fear in her eyes seemed to double and she looked almost, scared of him.

And then Draco Malfoy was there, putting a hand on her shoulder, trying to guide her away from him. Harry glared at the Slytherin – just what exactly did he think he was doing?

However, Draco just ignored Potter and took control. Though he still didn't know why she kept seizing up like this, but he could at least help remedy the situation…though with Potter there, it was going to be a lot harder.

"Lyra, you're at Hogwarts. It's just Potter and me here, no one else," he said, trying to keep his voice calm, but cold enough so that Potter wouldn't get too suspicious.

"Malfoy, what exactly are you doing?"

"None of – "

"Potter! Malfoy! What's going on here?" a voice commanded. Harry looked up to see Professor McGonagall walking towards them. She quickly looked over the situation, and, seeing the arm Draco had around his sister, realized what needed to be done.

"Potter, please return to the Common Room. Malfoy, you come with me, and bring Lyra along with you," she directed.

"But – but Professor, why can't I – "

"Potter, I'm not going to hurt her," Draco interrupted, glaring at his sister's friend.

"Why don't I believe you?" Harry muttered under his breath.

"Potter, return to the Common Room. I'm sure you still have homework to complete," McGonagall said abruptly. Sighing, Harry nodded, leaving, but not before casting one more distasteful look at the Slytherin.

Once they reached the Transfiguration classroom, the professor turned to the blonde.

"You have twenty minutes until my next class starts," she told him. Draco nodded once, and she disappeared into her office, an odd expression upon her face. Once the office door closed, Draco turned back to his sister.

"Lyra, we're alone. Can – can you hear me?" he asked her, searching her face or any positive reaction. But just nodded quickly, backing away from him. Sighing, Draco called out her childhood nickname.

"Raia, it's just me!"

Luckily, this seemed to have the desired effect. Her shoulders sagged, a shudder running through her as Draco sighed in relief.

"Lyra…what's going on with you?" he asked, concern clear in his voice.

"I – I don't know," she admitted, looking down.

"It's – it's whenever someone yells at you, or goes to touch you without awareness," her brother noted, but Lyra just nodded absentmindedly. "And only my use of your old nickname will bring you back to reality," he continued.

"I – I don't know, Draco," she repeated, beginning to get annoyed.

"This is the second time, Lei; what's gotten into you?" he inquired.

"I told you, I don't know!" she shouted, fed up. Draco's head shot up shocked. She rarely ever raised her voice, and certainly not at him.

"I'm sorry," he said finally. "I'm just worried."

"I know…but that's the problem, Draco. You're _always_ worried about me. But I'm a big girl; I _can_ take care of myself, you know," she rebuked slightly.

"You don't get it, Lei. We've got less then a month before we go home for Christmas break! If you're not – "

"If I'm not a perfect pure-blood daughter, yeah, I know. Do you want to know something Draco? I DON'T CARE! I joined the Inquisitorial Squad, he doesn't have to know why. But if he throws me out, so what?"

"So what? That's it? You don't care – "

"No, I don't! I'm sick and tired of playing by everyone else's standards! I want to be me! The _only_ reason I haven't broken yet is _you_!" she shouted.

"Lyra, I…what did you say?"

"I haven't pushed Father because that would mean leaving you," she confessed, her anger suddenly gone, her voice quiet. At once, Draco's anger subsided as well, and he moved forward, taking her in his arms.

"Lei, I just don't want you to leave home or get hurt. That's why I'm pushing this so hard," he told her.

"I _am_ aware of the deadline, Draco. You've just got to trust me."

"I _do_ trust you…most of the time. It's Father I don't trust," he admitted.

Lyra rolled her eyes, a small, sad smile forming upon her face. _And yet you still look up to him a great deal_, she thought.

The bell rang, startling the twins, and Professor McGonagall came out of her office as they broke apart.

"Problem resolved?" she inquired.

"Some of it. Thank you, Professor," Lyra replied.

"Very well. Off to your next class then," the Transfiguration teacher directed. Lyra nodded once, before glancing at her brother and leaving, not noticing how her brother's gaze followed her.

"She _will_ be safe here, right Professor?" he asked suddenly, startling his teacher.

"Of course, Mr. Malfoy. Why do you ask?"

"Can you put her under the Order's protection then? I have a bad feeling about what's to come soon," he said, finally turning to face her.

Looking at her student, Minerva McGonagall was surprised to see that the person he was in class was now the part hidden. After a moment more, she nodded.

"I'll see what I can do," she replied. Draco nodded once.

"Thank you, Professor," he said, before grabbing his bag, exiting the room without another glance.

The teacher stared at the open doorway, shocked at how she had been reminded yet again that things were not always what they seemed to be.

_**Anything you recognize is from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.**_

**_Thanks to all who are reading and enjoying this story. If you have any suggestions, (i.e. would like to see something happen, etc.) questions, or comments, please feel free to private message me. Thanks! ~ Leanora_**


	42. Blood Patronus

**_I unfortunately don't own the world of Harry Potter. J. K. Rowling does._**

**_Thank you to my new absolutely amazing beta, clovetf!_**

_**Also a quick thanks to .ninja159, Alex274, Allen Pitt, Rose Marley, xXMizz Alec VolturiXx, Annabeth Luxa Potter, Osanai Yume, mmmgirl13, dashnod, and ShawdowOfMyLight.**_

**_Just so you know, I'm writing 6 other stories as well. Thanks! :)_**

***Please remember that even though you know that Lyra is a Malfoy, most of the characters don't.***

**Chapter 42:**

**Blood Patronus**

"Good, so, this is probably the last lesson we'll have before the holidays, so everyone have a good one. Keep practicing, and perhaps we'll start Patronuses soon." Harry announced. Lyra was about to make her was about to make her way to ask her friend something when she noticed Cho Chang waiting up. Smiling to herself, she decided to wait until later.

Leaving the room, she found herself walking alone when a pair of strong arms grabbed her from behind. Eyes wide, she panicked as she was forced down to the floor. Quickly shutting her eyes, she didn't want to think about what was to come.

"Well boys, what do we have here?" a far too sweet voice asked. Her eyes shot open as she realized she wasn't going to be taken advantage of. The boys behind her guffawed, and she then knew that Crabbe and Goyle were behind her.

"So, you _are_ a traitor then. I should have known. Well then, come along deary," Umbridge instructed. Lyra was pulled to her feet and marched to the cotton-candy colored office.

"You promised; we made a deal," Lyra reminded her as the boys left the room.

"My dear, you can only be on one side. We have to make you realize that sooner or later," Umbridge replied, setting down parchment and a blood quill in front of her student.

"Write those words," she ordered, pointing to the board. Gulping, Lyra did what she was told for over an hour and a half's time.

"We'll pick up tomorrow night. Seven o'clock sharp."

"Yes, ma'am," Lyra replied obediently, trying to stop her bleeding hand with a rag, Umbridge smiling widely as the young girl left.

Grabbing her wand, she quickly performed a glamour charm she had been taught when she was younger. It would hide the fresh scars from any nosy eyes, for she had no desire to allow anyone else to know what was going on.

Finally reaching the common room, Lyra sank into a chair next to her friend.

"Harry, I have a favor to ask you," she said wearily.

"Sure, what is it?"

"Can you teach me the proper way to produce a Patronus now?" she asked.

"Why? Can't – "

"Harry, I've _told_ you what's been going on at my house. The sooner I have that kind of a spell under my belt, the better," she interrupted, suddenly impatient. Immediately, Harry nodded in understanding, pulling out his wand.

"You have to think of a really strong, happy memory," he instructed. Closing her eyes, she tried to summon one, and finally settled on one of her and Draco when they were kids.

"Ready? The incantation is Expecto Patronum," Harry told her. Taking a deep breath, she repeated in a firm voice.

"Expecto Patronum!"

A mist of silver flew out of her wand and around her body, before disappearing.

"Wow! That – that was even quicker then mine," Harry breathed, stunned. Lyra blushed.

"Thanks," she said, before focusing again and thinking of a different image – one of the four of them, all happy…but Draco was standing proudly next to her as well.

"Expecto Patronum!" she said again.

A large, pearly white object erupted from her wand, and people looked up as a dragon, pearly white with hints of green, soared around the room, before landing gracefully next to his mistress, disappearing entirely moments later.

"That – that was amazing," Harry exclaimed, incredulity in his voice. But much to his surprise, Lyra, in a moment of weakness, through her arms around him.

"Thank you," she whispered in his ear as he regained his balance.

"Any time," he replied just as quietly. As they broke apart, Lyra suddenly looked at her feet.

"I – I don't know how detentions are going to work from now on. Umbridge knows for a fact that I support you," she said, her voice still quiet. Harry was silence for a moment, taking in this inforamion.

"I'll take whatever comes. And thanks," he said, sincerity in his voice, but hardness as well.

"I – I'll see you in the morning then," she stuttered, suddenly tired. But as she turned to leave, Harry called her back, walking in two strides to where she stood.

"You _are _going to be okay, aren't you?" he asked. Taking a deep breath, she nodded.

"I'll be fine," she replied, her voice steadier then she felt.

"Lyra, please; promise you'll let me know what's going on or if you need rescuing, at any time," Harry implored of her.

"I – I promise," she answered hesitantly. "Thank you. I – you're always there. I'm not sure what I'd do without you," she admitted. This time, it was Harry who embraced her unexpectedly.

"You're welcome," he said simply, and the two friends stayed like that for a moment, before breaking apart, small smiles upon their faces.

Lyra bid her friend goodnight, before going to bed. As she lay there that night, she couldn't help but think about how lucky she was to have Harry Potter in her life. But then she frowned – pulling away the glamour spell momentarily and staring at her scarred hand. Would she ever be ready to reveal her true identity?

_So what do you think she was forced to write?_

_**Anything you recognize is from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.**_

**_Thanks to all who are reading and enjoying this story. If you have any suggestions, (i.e. would like to see something happen, etc.) questions, or comments, please feel free to private message me. Thanks! ~ Leanora_**


	43. Traitor

**_I unfortunately don't own the world of Harry Potter. J. K. Rowling does._**

**_Thank you to my wonderful beta, clovetf!_**

_**Also a quick thanks to Rose Marley, The Emerald Doe, Alex274, xXMizz Alec VolturiXx, Naty Fofy, karebear9593, XXXMariellaXXX, JuicyLucy921, Izzy-Whitlock14, ForeverWhitlockDarlin, Edwina B. Karch, artemisrocks124, and Isabella95.**_

**_Just so you know, I'm writing 6 other stories as well. Thanks! :)_**

***Please remember that even though you know that Lyra is a Malfoy, most of the characters don't.***

**Chapter 43:**

**Traitor**

Lyra glanced at her open trunk, sighing. She had never been good at packing spells, and this was one time where she could _definitely_ do with one. They would be leaving early the following morning for home. The young witch gulped at the thought – it was time for her to be judged.

"Need some help?" Hermione asked from behind her.

"Please and thank you," Lyra replied in relief.

"Are you worried? Because if you get kicked out, you could always come live with me. Or you could just stay with me during the holiday anyway," Hermione offered.

"Thank you, Hermione. I just – I just don't know. I'm fine with being disowned if all but for once fact; as I've told Harry, only when I'm home do I really get to spend time with my brother," she told the other girl.

"It'll all be fine. Now, let's head down to dinner before the boys go ahead of us. Knowing Ron, there will be nothing left in that case," Hermione suggested, causing her friend to laugh.

* * *

As Lyra entered her house the following day, she took a deep breath, making sure her mask was carefully back in place…and just in time, too, for the next moment, Draco's hand slipped into hers, giving it a quick squeeze, before he dropped it again, waiting for Lucius to address them.

"Draco. I see that you still are doing well in your classes, though how you are coming in second _still_ to that insufferable mudblood, I cannot fathom, not to mention in Defense Against the Dark Arts, you are behind her, Potter _and_ Lyra." Lucius said, to his children's surprised.

_She was actually doing better in a subject then Draco? Could that be?_

Meanwhile, Draco was carefully keeping an eye on his twin as their father insulted her friends but, for once, she kept a straight face; only the slight stiffening of her body showed she was angry. And, though he wouldn't say it out loud, he was proud of her in that moment.

"As for you, _Lyra_," Lucius began, sneering his so-called daughter's name. "I have received word that you have been trying to side with both Potter and us. Well, quite obviously, your little plan did not work so well. So tell me, how are detentions with Dolores?" he asked mockingly, and Draco's eyes widened ever so slightly.

"They're going fine, Father. I do believe the message is sinking in," she replied coolly, and at this, Draco's stormy-gray eyes grew cold at the implication.

Lucius looked at his flesh and blood critically for a moment, before saying.

"You may go. And I do not want to see you again soon," he instructed.

Nodding once curtly in understanding, Lyra left the room.

However, the minute the door closed behind her, her speed picked up, and before she knew it, the young girl was ferociously pushing open her door, letting it slam shut. She was breathing heavily and erratically as she quickly grabbed a small bag, stuffing it with anything important that she had left in her room. Perhaps she would be taking up Hermione's offer after all.

At least, that was until she heard the brief knock, before her brother promptly walked in, without waiting for an answer.

"Show me your hand," he demanded.

"Draco, I – " Lyra stuttered, spinning around, nervous.

"Show me your hand," he repeated, his voice harsh.

Sighing, Lyra held out both her hands. At first, Draco seemed confused, as they were blank. But when running his fingers across the top of her right hand, he felt magic. Immediately, his wand was out, and he was removing the simple glamour charm.

Lyra winced as the charm came off, revealing her scarred hand. Blood had dried over her the top of her hand, and he couldn't tell where the words started and the blood stopped. Carefully, he led her out the room and into the bathroom, having her sit on the small stool. Ever since her hand had been unwrapped, Draco noticed that she had refused to meet his eye, that she had stopped reacting, almost becoming numb.

Taking a damp washcloth, he gently dabbed at the surface of her hand, the excess blood coming away soon enough. When he could finally make out what the words said, he sucked in his breath, his expression hardening. On her hand, it read:

_My name is Lyra Rosaline Malfoy. I am a traitor._

"See? I told you," she said quietly, desperation in her voice. Sighing, eyes flashing in anger, he bent down so he was eye level with his sister, carefully putting two fingers under her chin, lifting it so her silver eyes would meet his grey ones.

"Listen to me, Lyra. You are not a traitor, do you hear me? I don't give damm what they think. You are and always will be my sister," he told her sternly. Eyes glistening with unshed tears, she nodded barely.

Bringing his arms around her, Draco carefully led his twin to his room.

"Lyra, what were you thinking when I came into your room?" he asked suddenly, his voice far quieter then usual.

"That I would join Hermione for the break," she replied, leaning into him as they sat upon the bed. Draco sucked in his breath before replying.

"I – I think you should write her, see if it's possible."

Lyra looked startled.

"But – but I can't leave you alone here! And what about us? This is the only time I can really spend with you," she exclaimed, her mind whirling.

"It's not safe for you here. And besides, we won't really get to spend real time together with Father constantly watching us. Promise you'll write," he explained, his mind already made up.

"I – NO! Draco, I can't. It's – "

" – no longer safe for you here," he repeated, her voice stern.

"He won't hesitate to kill you. And no one but I will know who did it," he said, his voice low.

Realizing the truth of his words, she slowly nodded.

"I'll owl her tonight," she said decidedly.

"Be careful," he whispered, bringing her close and kissing her forehead gently. Lyra accepted this, snuggling up against him, loving how safe she felt, even _with_ her father just downstairs.

Draco sighed as he rubbed circles on her back. As much as he wanted her within his sight, Draco _knew_ she would be safer with her friends. If only they knew…then perhaps they really could keep her safe. Hell, he would write that letter himself if he had to, if only they knew _why_ he would be writing on her behalf.

Looking down at her, he made a decision that would probably ruin their relationship. But if she didn't tell them by the end of next year, he would. Because Draco had a bad feeling that things were about to get a whole lot worse very soon.

As he slowly readjust his now-sleeping sister, he lay down next to her, pulling her body near his. He may respect Lucius, but _nothing_ would stop him from staying with her. Even if it meant becoming a blood-traitor.

_**Anything you recognize is from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.**_

**_Thanks to all who are reading and enjoying this story. If you have any suggestions, (i.e. would like to see something happen, etc.) questions, or comments, please feel free to private message me. Thanks! ~ Leanora_**


	44. With Family

**_I unfortunately don't own the world of Harry Potter. J. K. Rowling does._**

**_Thank you to my wonderful beta, clovetf!_**

_**Also a quick thanks to xXMizz Alec VolturiXx, PrettyGirl5894, Dark Void Princess 21, Alex274, Allen Pitt, Etain-Cassiopeia-Lestrange, SwiftAlice, mehouston2, Kai'ika95, Phi Flower Princess, LoveTheNyah, voldemort9219, **__**Crystal - Cola, D****ontSuspectTheHufflepuff, mehouston2, ninjatechbackstage, DJDvampgirlp227, GinaMcknight, lildrummergurl98, and SuchitaC.**_

**_Just so you know, I'm writing 6 other stories as well. Thanks! :)_**

***Please remember that even though you know that Lyra is a Malfoy, most of the characters don't.***

**Chapter 44:**

**With Family**

In the dark of the night about a week later, the Malfoy twins silently slipped through the quite house towards the fireplace. Draco carried her small amount of luggage as she focused on not making a sound. Once at their destination, they stopped.

"Ar – are you sure this is the right way to go about. He'll hurt you if he figures out you had a part in this," she whispered, afraid for her brother.

"Don't worry about me; I'll be fine. Now go! Before he wakes. I'll write if it's safe enough to do so," he promised her.

Biting back tears, Lyra quickly hugged him, before stepping though the green flames, disappearing into the fiery night.

Draco sighed as he slithered back up to his room, careful not to wake his parents. She was not going to be killed, not on his watch…and if that meant sending her away to live with mudbloods, blood traitors, and Saint Potter, then so be it.

Silently as she could, Lyra slid into an empty seat at the Leaky Cauldron, to wait for morning to come. Perhaps she would just put her head down, just for a moment…

"Lyra? Lyra!" a voice said, shaking her gently. Slowly, the dark-haired girl stirred.

"Wha - ? Hermione!" Lyra said, gaining back feeling in her limbs.

"Were you here all night?" Hermione asked, concerned.

"Later, Hermione," she said, and the muggle-born nodded, understanding it was a matter of secrecy.

"Thank you again. I'm sorry for the short notice," Lyra said, getting up and gathering her things.

"Don't worry about it; I owled Mrs. Weasley, who said yes, but that she was keeping it a surprise from everyone, My stuff is already there, change in plans," Hermione replied happily, as the two friends walked to the back of the restaurant, to a different floo system.

"Ready?"

"Absolutely," Lyra replied.

Almost as if she heard the floo, Mrs. Weasley came bustling into the room.

"Hermione, dear! So good to see you! And you must be Lyra, the boys have told me so much about you!" she said, bringing each girl in for an embrace…something Lyra was totally unprepared for.

"Er – well, thank you, Mrs. Weasley. I'm sorry for just barging in like this," she said, trying to apologize, but the matronly woman would have none of it.

"Nonsense, it's no trouble at all," she replied, cutting the girl off. With a shrug, she went to re-pick up her things when Mrs. Weasley stopped her.

"You'll be in your own room, I'm afraid. And don't worry about those, let the boys do it. Fred, George! Come in here now!" she ordered, calling into the other room.

"Yes, Mot – " Fred started, but stopped cold when he saw Lyra, a grin breaking onto his face.

"Hey! So the nameless girl is staying with us this time too, George!" he restarted.

"Take her things up to a spare room, will you?" their mother instructed.

"Yes, Mother," George said.

"Right away, Mother dearest," his twin finished.

Lyra chuckled, shaking her head as she followed Mrs. Weasley and Hermione into the dining room.

As they spotted her, suddenly the table went quiet. Harry was the first to react.

"Lyra! You're staying here, too?" he exclaimed, getting up to come over to her.

"Yes, it was a …last minute decision," she replied, choosing her words carefully.

"I'll explain tonight," she whispered as the two friends hugged. He gave her a sharp look, but said nothing as the two girls took their places at the lunch table, Lyra quickly fitting into the easy atmosphere.

She was jealous; her family – if she could even call it that – was nothing like this. Her _family_ wasn't warm, wasn't friendly. They were cold, and usually ate meals in silence…or at least she, as the girl and blood-traitor, did.

That evening, the four friends gathered in the boys' room, sitting in a circle on the floor.

"I was going to stay at home. But then my father questioned me about something he found out through Umbridge. My brother, he – he made me tell him what I never meant for him to find out, and then he deemed the situation unsafe. He – he said that my father _would _kill me, and only he would know about it. So he told me to write to Hermione, to come stay here. I don't know what'll happen over the summer. But I – his words, they're the truth," she explained, not looking them in the eye as more unshed tears came. Quickly, she blinked, refusing to cry…to be _weak_.

"Well, you can always come stay with us," Ron offered.

"Thank you," she murmured quietly.

"Lyra, may I speak with you a moment?" Harry asked, and she immediately followed him to the room across the hall.

"How bad are things for you, really? And don't lie to make it seem better," he demanded of her.

"But they're not! And you're dealing with so much more, I – "

"Lyra, what did I say?" he interrupted. Taking a deep breath, she sat on the edge of the bed, not meeting his eye.

"They're worse then ever, no doubt because Vol - Voldemort's back. My father, well, you know what he thinks of me. And my mother – I have no idea where she stands," Lyra admitted.

"But you're brother – "

" – cares; a lot. He – I think he would join the D.A. if it meant keeping me safe, and I would do the same for him, or whatever the little gang is he's in," she finished.

"Lyra, please. We promised each other we'd be there for each other; don't worry about your problems seeming too petty, especially because what you're telling me is far from it," Harry told her, sitting down next to his friend…the girl he considered a sister, just like Hermione.

"Thank you; it's just – I've always been taught to keep a stone face, to not let anyone in; but then, you're not just anyone, are you? You're – all of you – you're family. Which is why I won't tell you everything. Because I can't loose you," she said, her voice practically a whisper by the end of her mini monologue.

"I – I understand," Harry replied, bringing her into a strong embrace.

"I'll let you sleep; see you in the morning," he said, shutting the light, leaving her to herself.

How she deserved someone like him in her life, Lyra didn't know. But she would be ever eternally grateful for the day Harry James Potter showed up in her life.

_**Have a fantastic holiday and a Happy New Year everyone.**_

_{Hope this makes up for the delay.}_

_**Anything you recognize is from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.**_

**_Thanks to all who are reading and enjoying this story. If you have any suggestions, (i.e. would like to see something happen, etc.) questions, or comments, please feel free to private message me. Thanks! ~ Leanora_**


	45. The Noble and Most Ancient House

**_I unfortunately don't own the world of Harry Potter. J. K. Rowling does._**

**_Thank you to my wonderful beta, Book. Freak112233 !_**

_**Also a quick thanks to TheEmeraldDoe, HiddenDemigod, truthfulbadger, xXMizz Alec VolturiXx, spannieren, Seras16, THatGurlx3, Sheryl-lau, xoJaadiexo, dramaqueen1917, naynay87, GREEN DAY FAN 4277, An aWesome Sea Maiden, orderofphoniex, Allen Pitt, 2coolwriter, Sci-fi geek1133, muggleonaholiday, Cathie Cathie, SeSsYlOvEr2956, Redvines. FavouritefoodofHP -RW, cubaluv, Nyghtmaera, JustBeCarefree, NZfangirl, Book. Freak112233, maryn90, niteowl924, PurpleNinja97, eclispex.x, MythicalGirl17, CherryBlossomTrinity, PeriwinklePapaya, dreamsmadereality, and Thierry London.**_

**_Just so you know, I'm writing 6 other stories as well. Thanks! :) _**

***Please remember that even though you know that Lyra is a Malfoy, most of the characters don't.***

**Chapter 45:**

**The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black**

The rest of the break went fairly well. She wasn't asked anymore personal questions – even Mr. and Mrs. Weasley seemed to notice this was a touchy subject with her. The twins seemed to be trying harder to make her laugh…not that they really had to do much.

However, one night, Mr. Weasley called her over.

"You know about the Order of the Phoenix, correct?"

"Yes, sir," she replied, her curiosity piquing.

"Well, can I have your word not to repeat what you see or hear? We have to go to a…hotspot, so to speak."

"Yes, sir; of course." she answered immediately. "Actually, I – I want to join," she continued cautiously. Mr. Weasley's eyes widened.

"Well then, we'll be leaving soon," he said, giving her an odd stare before leaving her.

Confused, she left to pack, slightly unnerved by the older man's gaze, but determined not to let it bother her.

She was here to keep her safe and happy – she was trying not to let the separation bother her, even though it definitely did. Lyra sighed, she missed Draco.

"Ready?" Harry asked as he took her hand. Mr. Weasley didn't want her knowing the address, so Harry was taking her through the floo with him. She gulped and nodded, nervous and excited.

"Ready," she replied.

Stumbling slightly as she came out of the green flames, Lyra straightened and realized almost at once where they were. This was the ancient Black house – her mother had taken Draco and her here a few times when they were kids.

"Sirius!" Harry said, before running to embrace his godfather. Lyra gave her relative a small nod.

However, as Sirius looked at his godson's secretive friend, his brow furrowed. She looked so familiar, yet he couldn't place why or from where.

"So, the mudblood and blood-traitors have returned," groaned a low, wheezing voice. Lyra jumped to find a small, old house elf meandering about. Suddenly, he stopped and looked at her.

"Ah! A good witch from my master's family has returned, at last! Kreacher will serve, yes, Kreacher will serve, willingly!" he said, and everyone looked to her in confusion.

"My family has the same mentality as his mother, remember?" she asked, pointing to Sirius. Luckily, this seemed to be enough to keep them preoccupied.

"All right everybody, dinner's ready!" Mrs. Weasley called, and it was all she could do to jump out of the way, just barely avoiding the stampede of red.

Once everyone had gone, she knelt down to be eye-level with the ancient house-elf.

"Kreacher, I need you not to tell anyone what you know about me, or who I am, can you do that?"

"Mistress, Kreacher will do as he is requested, he will."

"Thank you," she whispered, much to his surprise, before heading into the dining room herself.

Lyra sat in the empty seat between Ginny and, Fred. Throughout the meal, she did not miss the confused stares from Sirius, and the concerned looks from Harry. However, she tried to forget it, attempting instead to focus on the delicious food, trying desperately to ignore the gnawing guilt in her stomach.

After dinner, while everyone else was busy, Lyra quietly slipped into the parlor room. At the top of one wall, written in fancy black and silver lettering, read "The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black: Torjus Pur."

The Malfoy girl gulped, letting her eyes rake over the huge family tree…_her_ family tree.

Finally, her eyes came to rest on her brother's image. Slowly, Lyra let her hand graze over her brother, and she felt the slight raise in the tapestry there, almost like an air-bubble…except that was where _she_ was.

"Hey…you alright?" Harry asked, puzzled at her motions. She straightened, startled, jerking her head towards the doorway.

She nodded in an almost trance-like way as Harry came into the room.

"You're a pureblood…are you on here?" he asked. She stiffened, sucking in her breath.

"No. I – I wouldn't be on here."

Harry just nodded, figuring that as a blood-traitor, she would have had her image burned through. Yet…yet he didn't see her on here at all. Harry glanced to where she had been looking, and his brow furrowed momentarily when he saw Draco Malfoy's name. She had once said they had been brought up together…was something more going on?

"C'mon. Mrs. Weasley's putting out desert, and if we don't get there quickly enough we won't get any at all." He reasoned, puzzled at why she looked so sad and tense. She just nodded again, following him.

Sighing, Lyra stopped at the doorway and she glanced back sorrowfully at the missing yet complete portrait of her family, before shutting the door…officially…on her family.

Miles away, Draco Lucius Malfoy was gazing at the same tapestry, his hand also grazing his image, wondering if he would ever be able to freely be with his sister without secrets or dishonor. Whether it would ever be truly acceptable for them to just be them…siblings…to everyone.

_So I know you don't want to hear it, but I'm going to say it anyway. I'm sorry. School and Life got in the way, but I'm back now! Thank you all for keeping with me. I promise I will see this story to the end!_

_**Anything you recognize is from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.**_

**_Thanks to all who are reading and enjoying this story. If you have any suggestions, (i.e. would like to see something happen, etc.) questions, or comments, please feel free to private message me. Thanks! ~ Leanora_**


	46. Family Conversations

**_I unfortunately don't own the world of Harry Potter. J. K. Rowling does._**

**_Thank you to my wonderful beta, Book. Freak112233 !_**

_**Also a quick thanks to percyjackson212, Allen Pitt, PrettyGirl5894, xXMizz Alec VolturiXx, slytheringirl22, spannieren, Lady of the Sirens, Lyla Black13, ajcollins2010, High Reacher, percyjackson212, Im a Skyscraper, KitKatCyn, translucent steeds, dragolove, LeoDaLion, LadyGryffindor313, culdrencakeaddiction, Kitty Qin, AmalaseHunter, Severus-Snape-Forever-Young, Rihimesama, madfinn654321, piper14798, Black Fire Kitty, Lordbingo, Queen of the beasts 44, lucasherrick0, R.E.D.-my-favorite-mortal, there. is. always. a. rainbow, FuryanDemoness19, chloee. rebecca, and CLAMPsFluffMeisterGirl.**_

_********__and all Anynonmous Reviewers as well!_

**_Just so you know, I'm writing 6 other stories as well. Thanks! :) _**

***Please remember that even though you know that Lyra is a Malfoy, most of the characters don't.***

**Chapter 46:**

**Family ****Conversations**

The rest of the break passed by quickly, though Harry observed that his usually secretive friend seemed to retreat even more, remaining quieter and more withdrawn than usual.

As the group gathered on Platform 9 ¾, he saw Draco Malfoy in the distance, and noticed how he was looking directly at Lyra. But what was even odder was that he didn't look aggressive or angry – he was looking at her with almost care, or concern. But why would he be worried about Lyra?

Shaking his head, the Potter boy tried to clear if of things he was most likely imagining. Grabbing his trunk, he boarded the Hogwarts Express. As the four friends reached an empty compartment, Lyra suddenly spoke up.

"I – I need to sort out my thoughts. If you don't mind, I'll meet you in the Great Hall," she said suddenly, nervously. Ron looked at her suspiciously, before shrugging. However, Harry looked at her oddly, she noticed, concerned and worried…and suspicious of her real motives. Yet, he nodded as well. Gulping, she left the room.

Slowly, she wandered the corridors, peaking into the compartments. Suddenly, a hand grabbed her wrist, pulling her into a compartment, and covered her mouth with the free hand, pulling her tightly against their body. Lyra struggled, silver eyes wide in fright as the person kicked the door shut, locking it and pulling the blinds down.

Then, the person brought their mouth close to her ear, so that she could feel their breath. She was shaking, still struggling as the person spoke.

"Stop struggling, Lei. It's just me."

Relief washed over the Malfoy girl as she was released, spinning to face her brother, promptly hitting him on the arm.

"Do you know how scared I was just then?"

"I'm sorry. But I need to talk to you. Alone, obviously." He replied, rubbing his arm. His sister just nodded, and his expression softened.

"How are you?" he asked.

"All – all right. I think they're getting suspicious," she admitted.

"Lei…you should tell them, and soon. Things are getting worse by the day."

"I – Draco, I can't. We've been through this, they're my family as much as you are, Harry especially. If – if – how do I know they won't abandon me, that I won't lose that if I tell them?" she said, and Draco could hear the desperation in her voice. He sighed.

"I don't know. But I do know that things are getting worse. Father was infuriated that you were gone, but also very pleased."

Lyra paled. "Please tell me you weren't hurt."

However, Draco simply looked away, his face once more in an unreadable mask.

"Oh, Draco. I – I am _so_ sorry. I knew I should have stayed, I – "

"NO!" he exclaimed fervently, his head snapping to face her. "Lyra, you would have been hurt, far more than I care to even think about."

"Draco, I – I'm scared." She admitted with a deep breath. Immediately, Draco stepped forward, embracing his sister, pulling her close to him.

"I – I am too." He confided then, and the twins grew silent, just holding each other.

"Thank you, Draco," she said finally as they moved to sit down, Lyra curling up on the seat, leaning against him.

"I'm just worried about you. Which is why your friends…your _family_ as you called them, need to know the truth."

"I – call me a coward, Draco, but I – I can't. I can't lose hi – them." She said, and Draco noticed that she almost said _him_ first.

"Lei, is there something going on between you and Potter that I don't know about?"

Lyra sat up, looking at him, confusion in her expression. "What are you talking about?"

Draco shifted, obviously uncomfortable. "Like, are you secretly dating or – "

"Merlin, no! Draco, I told you. I think of him similarly as I do you. As a brother. Nothing more."

Draco breathed a sigh of relief. "Good." He muttered as she leaned against him once more.

"Draco?"

"Hmm…"

"I – I don't want to ever lose you either."

Draco's expression softened, and he placed a chaste kiss upon her forehead. "Good, because I never plan on leaving."

* * *

The feast ended, and as the students began walking back to their respective Common Rooms, Harry grabbed his secretive friend's wrist, pulling her into a side corridor.

"Are you feeling okay?" he asked.

"I – I'm fine. Honestly, I just needed to sort some things out."

Harry gave her a skeptical look.

"Harry, please. I – "

"Lyra, we've been through this a dozen times, and I feel like we're going in circles. Why won't you just tell me what you're hiding. Maybe I can help!"

"Because I'm terrified of losing you! I'm so scared that you'll brand me as a traitor, that you'll forget about me. You're _family_ to me. I – surely you can understand why I can't take that chance."

Harry stared at her, shocked. Warily, he then placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I can definitely understand that. And I know that I'm the last person who should be telling you this, but try to confide in me. Open up. Please. I'm not going anywhere."

She looked up at him, surprised to see a gentle fierceness in his eyes.

"Thank you Harry. I – I'll tell you eventually. But – but I'm just not ready yet."

He nodded once. "Good night, Lyra. And welcome home."

She gave him a brief smile. "You too."

___In honor of Harry Potter Weekend at my school! :)_

_**Anything you recognize is from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.**_

___By the way - L'Shanah Tova! :)_

**_Thanks to all who are reading and enjoying this story. If you have any suggestions, (i.e. would like to see something happen, etc.) questions, or comments, please feel free to private message me. Thanks! ~ Leanora_**


	47. Absent Concerns

**_I unfortunately don't own the world of Harry Potter. J. K. Rowling does._**

**_Thank you to my wonderful beta, Book. Freak112233 !_**

_**Also a quick thanks to Black-Rose Marley, lolsmileyface6, dramaqueen1917, An aWesome Sea Maiden, Yuuka-90, xXMizz Alec VolturiXx, LadyGryfffindor313, thegirl2550, GurlNextDoor447, The Emerald Doe, KristyLuvHeart, Miss-Mai, superponies, Pricilla Harkness, mavi313, Cheshirecat2012, mjkcsk, Nikolina1095, bodie3, Emberetta Isaca Vexley, The Writer and Reader, Aleucard, alaskanwoman25, ptl4ever419, Bronzelove, and cutie2boot4u.**_

***Please remember that even though you know that Lyra is a Malfoy, most of the characters don't.***

**Now on with the story! :)**

**Chapter 47:**

**Absent Concerns**

Weeks passed and Draco grew worried. He knew Lyra wouldn't tell anyone that they were twins. However, the Dark Lord was growing stronger which could only mean trouble for them. Worse still, his father was furious that she had left during break. Lucius had questioned Draco, but when he received answers not to his liking, the Malfoy head punished his only son and heir. He worried and dreaded to think about what would happen if she were to return home for break.

Draco hadn't wanted to tell her, for he knew she would feel guilty. Yet, he would take his father's punishments again and again if it meant she would be safe.

* * *

Lucius Malfoy was not pleased. From the reports he was receiving from Dolores, it would seem that his so–called daughter was more of a disgrace then he had been fooled into believing. She would never change…he realized this now.

Well, he would no longer be the fool. Lucius quickly but elegantly wrote a note to his co-worker and friend. It was time he took matter into his own hands…

* * *

Lyra quietly entered Umbridge's office Friday afternoon, sitting down to begin her lines when the "professor" spoke.

"Oh, you won't be writing lines today, dear. Your father wrote; you will be going home for the weekend.

Nervously, Lyra stood and, making sure her mask was in place, flooed to Malfoy Manor. She wasn't quite sure what her father wanted, though she had an idea. Whatever it was, it couldn't be good.

"Father?"

"You are not fit to call me that!" a voice hissed through the darkness.

Lyra tried to turn, but not before she was struck down. Biting her lip, she carefully composed her expression, despite the fact that the room was dark and that she was now face down upon the floor.

"You are a disgrace to me and to the entire Malfoy family. You are no longer fit to carry on my name. I have let it go on far too long. It ends now."

Lucius cast a body–bind spell upon his daughter. He then took his wand and knelt beside her, a sick grin upon his face.

A scream caught in Lyra's throat. Yet, due to the spell he had previously cast upon her, she couldn't move away from the never–ending pain.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, but in reality was only thirteen minutes, Lucius stopped. Smirking, he stood, brushing off his robes. Lazily, the aristocratic man waved his wand at the unconscious girl, freeing her from the body–binding curse. This should solve his little problem once and for all. After all, if this wasn't enough of a warning, he would just have to get rid of her the next time she interfered with his plans.

* * *

Draco was beginning to grow worried. He hadn't seen Lyra since the previous morning, which was unusual. Quietly, he turned the corner…and immediately jumped back, hiding in a niche in the wall. Potter was coming down the hall, Weasel and the Mud – Muggleborn tailing him. He waited to see if they would speak about his sister.

" – and who cares. We all know you passed Hermione. Just like we all know I probably failed," Weasel was saying.

"You don't know that Ron! And besides, there are people who certainly did worse then you."

"I bet Lyra didn't. And neither did Harry," he muttered.

"Hey – have you seen Lyra today? She wasn't in the dorm, was she, Hermione?"

The brown–haired girl shook her head. "No. She has detention with Umbridge, remember? Even on the weekends."

"But shouldn't it have ended a few hours ago?"

"Perhaps Umbridge kept her late? I wouldn't be surprised if that were the case. Though, come to think of it, I didn't see her last night either." Hermione suggested, frowning in realization. In his hiding spot, Draco paled. That certainly didn't sound good.

"Who cares? She's with Umbridge, we know where she is. Let's – "

Draco's fists clenched, at Weasley's words. Did he really not care about her? Waiting another moment, he crept out, brusquely making his way down to their current Professor's office. Schooling his features, he knocked.

"Come in," the sickly sweat voice called.

"Ah, Draco. Please, come in," she said, seeing the young, trusted man.

"Professor," he said coolly, stepping into the room.

"Have you seen Lyra? I know she's scheduled to have detention with you every day."

"She has gone home for the weekend. Lucius wished to speak with her."

Draco paled even further. "Thank you, Professor," he said simply, his stone expression revealing nothing.

He swiftly left, feeling sick. Lyra was with his father, supposedly alone. He had to get back to the Manor. Now he could only hope that his inquisition wouldn't make things worse…and that he was in time to help her.

The Malfoy boy began walking towards Severus Snape's quarters. He knew the older man would understand and allow him to use the floo within the Potions office.

"Draco? To what do I owe this visit?" the man asked, surprised.

"I need to return home."

"Draco, I cannot allow – "

" – sir, it's Lyra. I think she's in trouble," Draco quickly said, cutting across his godfather, whose eyes widened ever so slightly.

"Very well; come in."

"Thank you Professor," Draco said, before disappearing into the green flames.

Severus stared after his godson, internally very proud of him. He could see how much the two cared for each other. Now, knowing Lucius, he could only hope it would be enough.

Draco walked into his home through the fireplace, dusting off the excess ash from his clothes and straightening, face smooth, revealing nothing.

"Draco. What are you doing home?" a smooth voice asked.

The young man turned to see his father standing in the doorway.

"Have you seen Lyra?"

"What do you want with that disgrace? Haven't I taught you better?"

"You and Mother have taught me that family is important. I am simply sticking by that value."

"Draco. It is only important to care about the _right_ members of the family. Those who are willing to uphold what we most believe in. That _girl_" he said, spitting that last word, "is a disgrace."

"_That_ _girl_ is my sister, whether you acknowledge her or not," Draco retorted. "Now where is she?"

However, Lucius remained quiet, regarding his son carefully. "Are you a traitor too then?"

"Of course not, Father. _I _still believe in the old ways. I simply wish to see how she is faring." Draco replied, gritting his teeth and making sure to block his mind the best he could.

"Very well. However, you will have to find her, for I do not remember where she is," he lied coolly. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a business meeting to attend to."

Gulping, Draco began his way through the dark house. Suddenly, his foot hit something. Going to move away, he glanced down, and stopped cold.

Flicking the lights on with his wand, he knelt beside his sister's unconscious body, his heart going to his throat. Her back was covered in blood and he couldn't even tell why. Gulping, he levitated her body. This was far too advanced for him, he just knew it, and that scared him greatly.

Gingery cradling her body, he flooed back to Severus' chambers, hoping he would be able to help.

Severus' eyes widened in shock as the Malfoy twins came through the floo.

"What happened?" he breathed out, before carefully schooling his own features.

"I don't know. I found her like this," he replied, before sinking into a chair, shaking as his godfather began to help his sister.

Slowly, Severus Snape began washing away the blood from the still unconscious girl's back. Seconds turned into minutes. It was slow, painstaking work, as the blood was already dried.

Suddenly, he stiffened. "Draco; come here," he said, breaking the silence. The blonde's head shot up, and he stiffly walked over to where his sister lay.

His gray eyes widened as he looked at the bloody back, understanding now where the blood have come from. His fists clenched in silent rage as he fought to keep his emotions in check.

Lucius had burned into Lyra's back the word _Traitor_.

_Happy New Year Everyone! :)_

**_Thanks to all who are reading and enjoying this story. If you have any suggestions, (i.e. would like to see something happen, etc.) questions, or comments, please feel free to private message me. Thanks! ~ Leanora_**


	48. Remorseful Protection

**_I unfortunately don't own the world of Harry Potter. J. K. Rowling does._**

**_Thank you to my wonderful beta, Book. Freak112233 !_**

_**Also a quick thanks to xXMizz Alec VolturiXx, lilyann96, High Reacher, Aleucard, dragjakelong'sgurl, 21stCenturyMarauder, AushAshMommy, AnjuAddams, sapurplemonkey, and Rainy-Round.**_

***Please remember that even though you know that Lyra is a Malfoy, most of the characters don't.***

_Also, I know people have suggested that I take on a co-author and/or concentrate on one story. I am sorry it takes so long. However, I have future plans for these stories and I prefer working alone. I am grateful that everyone keeps reading and puts up with me. Thank you for this suggestion, but though I am busy, I am also very dedicated to these stories. Thank you! :)_

**Now on with the story! :)**

**Chapter 48:**

**Remorseful Protection**

Severus Snape looked over to where Lyra Malfoy's body lay. He couldn't believe that anyone would do something so horrid to their own daughter…yet, knowing Lucius, he could almost see into _why_ the cold man had done it. It didn't mean he agreed with it though. While he was treating her, it had been hard work, and he wasn't sure how Lyra would react once she awoke. He realized why he had chosen a Friday night to do his worst. No one would miss her for those days.

Then there was Draco, whom Severus viewed almost as a son of his own. He could see how close the twins were, that was plainly obviously when they weren't pretending otherwise, and even then, to those who knew them, it was hard to miss. He was afraid of what Draco might try to do now that she had been severely hurt.

Glancing at the clock, he sighed briefly. It was getting late, and he didn't want to arouse suspicion. The twins had already been missing for most of the day. _Especially_ if Umbridge was keeping a close eye on the twins for Lucius Malfoy himself.

"Draco," Severus said quietly, laying a hand upon the younger man's shoulder, shaking him awake. Immediately, Draco awoke, gray eyes wide as he looked around before remembering where he was…and why. He had refused to leave his sister's side, and so Severus had let him spend the night as well.

"You should take her to the Hospital Wing," Severus said gently as he looked over at Lyra's still unconscious form. Draco shook his head.

"Questions would be asked."

"She needs proper treatment, Draco. Treatment I can't provide. I can, however, provide a note excusing you."

Draco gulped. "Fine. Thank you Professor," he said stiffly. "May I floo to the Hospital Wing?"

Snape nodded once curtly, unlocking the floo system as Draco carefully picked his sister up and stepped through the floo, noting how her torn robes still stuck to her body from the dried blood.

Severus sighed as he looked at them. He was glad that Draco was continuing to look after his sister, despite Lucius' warnings otherwise.

* * *

"What happened?" Draco heard Madame Pomprey ask as he entered her office.

"She's not wanted. Can you heal her?" he asked, his tone impatient and cold.

"Come put her on this bed here," the mediwitch said, pulling back the curtains to the nearest bed and setting a chair next to it.

Once she saw the condition of Lyra's back, she gasped, her eyes widening. Quickly, she bustled away, gathering the supplies she needed.

"Mr. Malfoy, apply these to her back," she instructed, knowing he would help, as she handed him medicated strips. With more care then she had ever seen him show before, Draco followed her instructions.

Once he was done, she began cutting away the destroyed robe and magically wrapping the teenage girl's upper body tightly, to keep the bandages in place and stop the wound from infection and further bleeding. "That's all I can do for now. However, I will excuse her from class for at least the next week."

Draco nodded, not making a move to leave.

"I'm afraid I cannot excuse you from your attending your classes." She said then, noticing the lack of movement.

"I understand," Draco replied stiffly.

"You may stay the night, if you wish," she said, closing the curtains around the bed as she left.

They were finally alone together. Draco felt his shoulder's sagging from remorse and fury. Fury at his father for doing this to her; remorse for not being there in order to do the one thing he had always vowed: protected his sister.

Gently, he adjusted her body, sliding onto the bed, leaning her against him. Rubbing his hand up and down her arm smoothly as she still slept unconsciously, his thoughts turned hateful. He couldn't let their father…or Umbridge for that matter…get away with this. They had gone too far this time. Now the only question was: how?

More importantly, how would Lyra react once she finally awoke. He hoped to be there when that happened, as he knew she would be upset and in pain, and would only show it around him.

Sighing, he felt his eyelids drop as well as exhaustion once again threatened to overcome him. He hadn't been sleeping well, and now one of his nightmares was coming true. Leaning against the pillows, he too fell asleep.

* * *

The following afternoon, once classes were done, Harry began by immediately talking to his friends, his concern growing at their missing friend.

"Now I'm really starting to worry. You're _sure_ she hasn't been in the girls' dormitory at all?"

"Positive, Harry," Hermione answered for what seemed like the fiftieth time.

"Harry, she could be anywhere; it's Monday, she could have slept in and forgotten about classes, would you stop worrying?" Ron said, rolling his eyes at his friend's incessant concern. He couldn't say why, but there was something off about Lyra; something they couldn't quite trust.

"Ron, she was last seen with Umbridge. Not to mention she's been missing for almost three days. That _can't_ be good."

"You don't think she got hurt, do you? That maybe Umbridge did something?"

"I don't think so, but it's possible."

"I'm going to see," he declared, changing the way they were going. Ron rolled his eyes again, but didn't follow, instead putting a hand on Hermione's arm to stop her going after their friend.

"If he wants to go, let him," he said, his voice a bit harder than usual.

* * *

As Draco was leaving the Hospital Wing the following morning, after silently promising to visit later that night, when everyone else was gone, he left his still unconscious sister in the care of Madame Pomprey. He didn't like having to leave her, but he knew he still had to attend class, _especially_ if his father found out what he had done.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Potter headed towards the Hospital Wing in the late afternoon. Perhaps he would have to keep a close eye on the Gryffindor boy than he previously thought. Yes, he knew Lyra had said they were "only friends," but that didn't mean that he wouldn't watch Potter. Though he trusted his sister, and knew she wouldn't lie to him, at least about this, it didn't mean he trusted her friends.

Though, he had to admit, even _Potter_ was better than Weasley. _He_ didn't seem to care about Lyra at all. And that worried him even more.

* * *

Harry entered the Hospital Wing, quickly scanning the beds, when one with closed curtains caught his eye. Cautiously, he said her name, hoping she was in there. When no response came, he peeked in, shocked by what he saw. Her entire back was bandaged tightly, and he could see blood soaking through it.

Coming closer, he pulled the chair next to the bed up closer to his friend.

"Lyra?" he whispered, unable to believe that the severely injured girl in front of him was his friend. Harry paled as he realized that she had last been with Umbridge. She was getting hurt because she had tried to help him. This was all his fault. A wave of guilt crashed over him as he realized he would have easily taken her pain – pain that was meant for him in the first place. Swallowing hard, he took and squeezed her hand before leaving, whispering as he went "I'm sorry." This was just too much. To see her so vulnerable and hurt like this – it hurt him.

**_Thanks to all who are reading and enjoying this story. If you have any suggestions, (i.e. would like to see something happen, etc.) questions, or comments, please feel free to private message me. Thanks! ~ Leanora_**


	49. Loss Permanent

**_I unfortunately don't own the world of Harry Potter. J. K. Rowling does._**

**_Thank you to my wonderful beta, Book. Freak112233 !_**

_**Also a quick thanks to Arorastone, High Reacher, xXMizz Alec VolturiXx, RosarioLily, Skylar97, Tajuca, Croonsgirl, Rainy-Round, Amwolf, dobsokks, RionD, Chocolate-Tama, Kitkatrox, Jilly221, Nadeshiko Kimoto, Mimi81, Whats wrong with obsessions, onyxrose99, and angletricia.**_

***Please remember that even though you know that Lyra is a Malfoy, most of the characters don't.***

**Now on with the story! :)**

**Chapter 49:**

**Loss Permanent**

Lyra blinked, groaning as she slowly came to. She tried to remember what had happened, but – but she found she couldn't.

"Lei? How are you feeling?" a familiar voice asked softly.

"Awful. Draco – what happened?"

"Father got to you before I could," he replied, coming to sit on the edge of her bed.

"Am I – how bad is it?"

"Bad. I'm sorry Lei," he said. He paused before speaking. "Do you want help throwing a robe or shirt on?"

She nodded, grimacing at the motion. Draco helped her lean forward, sliding it over his sister's head. He then tied the slips under her arms, making it easier for her, since she couldn't really lift her arms.

"Will you – can you stay?"

"Yes. Do you want me to – ?"

Lyra nodded, wincing in pain, grimacing as Draco slid under her once more, turning her body into him.

"How are you?"

"I'm fine. Scared for you, actually."

"How bad is it?" she repeated, causing Draco to sigh. _Of course she would want to know._

"Really bad. He branded you, knocked you unconscious, tortured you. I don't want you going back there while he's still there," Draco replied. "I _saw_ the result. It's for life, Lei."

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"What? What for. How – "

"I'm sorry. If I had tried to fit in, be more like he wanted me to be, instead of following – "

"Lyra, stop! You've done _nothing _wrong."

"What'll happen to you? To us?" she asked, and Draco could hear a slight quiver in her voice. Looking down, he moved a stray strand of dark hair away from her face. Instead of verbally answering, he simply held her tighter.

* * *

"What?"

"Harry, you can't be serious. Surely you're exaggerating."

"I'm not. Her entire upper body was bandaged and blood was seeping through them. It was awful."

"But who would do something like that? What – what even had to happen for her to be in that poor of a condition?"

"I – I don't know, Hermione. But something really bad happened."

Pacing, Harry groaned. _What could have happened_? Personally, he suspected either Umbridge or perhaps even her father, whoever he actually was.

"Harry. I think she's hiding something. Something big. For Merlin's sake, we don't even know her name. don't you think it's a bit suspicious?"

"Ron, I _know_ how it looks. But this was real. I trust her."

"Okay. Your call, mate."

* * *

"Lyra?" Harry asked, coming into the Hospital Wing.

"Hello Harry," she said quietly.

"May I come in?"

"Of – of course."

Harry entered "her room," trying not to gape. A loose robe had been pulled onto her, but Harry could still see the bandage peeking through.

"What happened?"

She looked down, upset. "I don't want to talk about it."

He nodded, coming to sit beside her bed. "When can you go back to class?"

"I don't know. Right now I just have to concentrate on getting better."

"Is it – "

"Apparently it's permanent. Which means I just have to wait for some of the pain to go away."

Harry's eyes widened. "It's – it's permanent?"

She nodded. "What happened?"

"I don't know."

"You don't – "

"No one will tell me what happened exactly."

"Oh. I'm sorry. Would you like me to – to see, so I can tell you, or – ?"

"No thank you. I don't want to unwrap it, and I – I don't know if I want to know exactly."

Harry just nodded again. "I understand," he said.

"Harry?"

"Yes?"

"Ron doesn't trust me, does he? Because I'm hiding a lot of my personal life."

Harry sighed, running a hand through his perpetually messy hair.

"No, Ron does not like that we don't know much about you. I, however much I would _like_ to know, am not going to press you. From what you've told me, I can understand, not to mention I rarely mention my personal life either."

"Harry, your personal life is always plastered in the _Prophet_, however much of it is lies."

He chuckled. "True, but still."

"I'm okay with it," he said. "Don't worry about it. Just concentrate on getting back to class."

"Thank you, Harry," she whispered, her voice still weak, as she herself was still weak after the attack.

"I'll see you later," he said, momentarily putting a hand over hers, before leaving.

Once outside, Harry stopped. How – life at the Dursleys' wasn't great, not in the least, but at least his parents hadn't wanted to leave him…they loved him. Her parents – these were her _parents_ who were torturing her. Somehow, that seemed worse than what he endured at the Dursleys'.

Shaking his head, Harry returned to the common room.

* * *

Slowly, Draco made his way up to the Hospital Wing once more.

"Mr. Malfoy. What a surprise. Might I ask where you are going?"

Draco stopped cold, putting on his mask as he faced Dolores Umbridge. "Good evening, Professor."

"You haven't answered my question."

"To the hospital wing, Professor. To check up and see what has happened since my father dealt with Lyra," he replied, knowing he would be in ore trouble if he lied.

"I see. And you still care for the traitor?"

Draco internally tensed. "She is blood. Regardless of whether or not she has been disowned, I still wish to see how she is fairing. After all, I can then report to my father on how his punishment was received," he replied, not entirely lying, yet still feeling sick all the same.

"Fair enough. Carry on."

Draco nodded once curtly before continuing on his way, breathing deeply. That was close, almost too close. Yet he should have known it was coming – it wasn't exactly any surprise that Umbridge was reporting back to his father.

Sighing, he snuck into the Hospital Wing. "Lei?' he whispered. Her eyes fluttered. "Draco," she whispered, giving him a small, weak smile.

"Umbridge is suspicious." He told her, knowing she hated it when he kept information from her, even if it wasn't pleasant.

"Go figure. Are you all right?"

"Fine. I have it covered."

"You're not getting hurt yourself are you?" she asked, and Draco could hear the pleading not, begging him to be truthful, and at the same time, say 'no.'

"No, I'm not. And I don't want you worrying about me. I want you to heal as much as possible."

She nodded, reaching out to him. "I don't want to lose you," she whispered. "I can't."

"I know," he replied, his tone matching hers as he ever so gently hugged his sister. "I can't either. Which is why I was so scared when I found you."

"Draco, what – "

"He burned the word _Traitor_ into your back. Happy now?"

"I – I'm sorry. I know you didn't want to tell me. I just – I had to know."

"Shh…I know. It's okay. I understand." He muttered, running his hand repeatedly through her hair as he kept her close to him.

Carefully, he switched positions so he could better hold and support her.

"Lei?"

When she looked up, he continued. "Please. I want you to be safe. I just – "

"Draco, not now please. I just – can you just stay here? Please?"

He sighed, nodded, pulling her closer, wishing he could do more for his sister. He wasn't lying earlier…if he lost her, he was quiet sure he would lose himself as well.

**_Thanks to all who are reading and enjoying this story. If you have any suggestions, (i.e. would like to see something happen, etc.) questions, or comments, please feel free to private message me. Thanks! ~ Leanora_**


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